


Entwined Destiny

by MissMy80sShows



Series: Scarecrow and Mrs. King - Enemies [2]
Category: Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 35,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22185691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMy80sShows/pseuds/MissMy80sShows
Summary: The aftermath of Amanda's kidnapping and rescue left many unanswered questions. This story was co-written with Karen LaManna.
Series: Scarecrow and Mrs. King - Enemies [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1596967
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

All around him was darkness and Lee felt nothing but cold.

"Get the medics in here!"

He felt his body being shifted but was unable to respond.

"I need a line in her!"

Amanda was weightless, drifting in and out of consciousness.

"When's that chopper getting here?!"

She fluttered her eyes open, but they closed quickly as the bright light surrounded her and she felt something cold and wet on her face.

"He's losing a lot of blood here, people! Let's get them airborne!"

Lee was spinning, faster and faster. He was lightheaded, he couldn't focus on anyone around him. He tried desperately to talk but only managed one strangled word, "A-man-da."

"Hang on, buddy! We're on our way to the trauma center."

Amanda tried opening her eyes again. She fought nausea and the intense pain to alert someone she was conscious. "Lee!" she whispered into the oxygen mask covering her face.

"It's okay, lady. You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be at the hospital soon."

Amanda closed her eyes again and concentrated on breathing through the pain radiating throughout her body. She couldn't stop her body from trembling or the tears that slid down her face. Fear was quickly enveloping her, dulling her senses and tightening her chest, making breathing more difficult. Her hand twitched against the strap holding her down, her eyes rolled upward as her body began to convulse.

"She's crashing!"

Lee sensed something was happening around him but he was helpless to respond. He heard a strange rapid beeping and could hear someone shouting, but his brain was unable to decipher the words being said. He tried to move his head but it was strapped tightly in place. He wanted to move his hand but his body felt as if he was submerged in ice water.

"We're almost there, buddy. Just hang on."

They were spiraling downward fast. In her mind's eye, Amanda could see Lee, floating away from her. _Lee! Don't go!_

Lee's vision was different, darker. In his mind, he tried reaching for her only to be ripped away by unseen hands. He descended into the darkness screaming her name.


	2. Chapter 2

Billy and Francine stormed into the hospital and headed directly to the trauma ward of the emergency room. They were stopped at the door by a security guard who asked to see identification. Billy pulled his badge from his interior coat pocket and stated, "We had two agents airlifted here just over an hour ago."

The guard nodded, "The NEST team arrived shortly before your people did. The head nurse can give you more information." He pointed to a large nurse's station just down the hall.

"Thank you," Billy nodded in return before he and Francine closed the distance to the desk. "I'm William Melrose, I spoke with someone about an hour ago," he stated to the first woman at the desk.

"Agent Melrose, yes, that was me. I'm Nurse Moriarity," the older woman stated firmly.

"What's going on with my people?" Billy demanded in a low voice.

Nurse Moriarity checked the papers attached to a silver clipboard. "Stetson, Lee, gunshot wound to the chest, no exit wound. Stetson, Amanda, gunshot wound to her side, through and through. Those your people?"

Billy grimaced at her quick descriptions of Amanda and Lee. "Where are they now?"

"Both in surgery. Dr. Daniels is overseeing both teams. He'll be right out to see you. He told me to alert him when you arrived," Nurse Moriarity stated as she stood and hurried off down the hall.

Billy turned to Francine and stated softly, "This doesn't sound good. We need to be prepared for the worst."

Francine placed her hand on Billy's arm, "We can't think like that. They're both strong, they've been through worse."

"Have they? Really?" Billy snapped. He took his hat off his head and pinched it between his fingers as he sighed, "I'm sorry, I just can't believe this happened. How did this happen?"

"I never should have let Lee drop me off. I should have stayed with him, backed him up. This wouldn't have happened!" Francine said angrily.

Billy shook his head, "Don't do it, Francine. Don't start blaming yourself. We didn't know he had a gun and Lee certainly didn't know Squires was armed." He pursed his lips tightly before adding, "We better think of what we're going to tell Amanda's mother and fast. We can't keep this from them."

Before Francine could reply, a tall, thin man wearing surgical scrubs and a long white lab coat appeared at the end of the hall beside Nurse Moriarity. He approached the pair, a solemn expression on his face, "Agent Melrose, I'm Dr. Daniels."

"This is Agent Desmond. Give it to me straight, how bad are they?" Billy asked gruffly.

"There's a small room down here where we can talk privately," Dr. Daniels stated.

Billy glanced at Francine and noticed she appeared very pale. He took her by the elbow and guided her into the room the doctor indicated. "Could we get some water, please?" Billy asked as Francine sunk down, leaned onto her knees and took a deep breath.

"I'll get it," Nurse Moriarity said softly. She moved toward the desk as Dr. Daniels stepped into the small room and closed the door. Billy sat beside her and rubbed her back as Francine struggled to keep her composure.

"So, how bad are my agents?" Billy asked firmly.

Dr. Daniels closed the door behind him and sat down across from Francine and Billy. "The woman came in with a single gunshot, a full through and through. In-flight, she went into shock and had a small seizure, but she's going to be okay. We call those Dissociative Seizures and they are very common when someone's had a traumatic event. She's very lucky, the bullet missed her ribs but it did take out a piece of her liver. But the human body is a wonderful mystery and if all goes well, she'll regenerate that portion back within the next month or so," he explained with a forced smile.

Francine exhaled loudly, "Good. What about Lee?" Dr. Daniels looked at Billy without saying a word. Francine lifted her head and demanded, "What about Lee?!"

"He arrived in tough shape. In-flight, he had to be intubated as he began foaming blood from his mouth. The med crew also had to do what's called a needle decompression into his lower left lung. He's fighting what's called a pneumo-hemothorax. I can explain it as if he was drowning in his own fluids, this would help him to breathe a little easier. You see, the bullet entered his left side at an odd angle, punctured his lung before shattering two ribs as it ricocheted around. If I had to guess, I would say it was the same bullet that passed through the woman. It is currently wedged in his Circumflex Artery on the left side of his heart. Lucky for him, I guess because if it had shifted at all, he would have bled out on the scene. But with that being said, he's not out of the woods," Dr. Daniels explained. "I'm going to be honest; it doesn't look good. He lost a lot of blood, his lung has collapsed, and he continues to struggle to breathe. If they can't get that bullet out without causing any more damage..." he trailed off.

Francine hiccupped as the tears began to fall. Billy sat, stone-faced, one hand on her back, unsure how to respond.

"You may want to notify their families-" Dr. Daniels began but Francine snapped, "Family. They are one family. They are not only partners but husband and wife, too. Jesus, don't you people read their charts when they come in?"

"Francine," Billy warned.

"I'm sorry. I try not to read too much about the patients in cases like this. I need to keep it as clinical as possible to stay objective," Dr. Daniels explained softly.

Francine dragged her hand down her face, wiping away her tears. "I can't believe this," she muttered.

They were all distracted when they heard a soft knock on the door before it opened and Nurse Moriarity carried in two small cups of water. She placed the water on the table between Francine and Billy's chairs and nodded at Dr. Daniels, "I'll be at the desk if you need anything else."

"Is there anything else we should know?" Billy asked.

"He's been unconscious pretty much since they loaded him into the chopper. He's not responding to the normal pain stimulus tests. We have no idea what effect his blood loss has had on his brain," Dr. Daniels stated.

"What are you saying?" Billy demanded.

"From what I can tell you, he's in a coma. Right now, we have him medically sedated, a medical coma, so to speak. The cardiac surgeon is working on getting that bullet out but it's his brain I'm more concerned with. For him, this could be his body's way of protecting itself or it could be his body's way of shutting down. We won't know for a few days, a week maybe," Dr. Daniels stated.

Francine dropped her head back and stared at the ceiling. "Oh God, not Lee," she groaned.

"I need to get back down to the surgical team. I'll be back with more updates as I know them," Dr. Daniels stood and opened the door. "Stay here as long as you need to. I know this isn't easy but if you're the praying type, he could use any you have to spare."

"Thank you, Doc," Billy uttered as the door closed. He looked over at Francine who was trying to compose herself. "Hey, he's strong. He's been in tough spots before. He'll make it."

Francine shook her head, "You don't know that, Billy. What is Amanda going to do without him? What are we going to do without him?"

"Don't think like that," Billy commanded softly. "We have to be positive, think positive."

Francine stuttered an inhale before she reminded him, "We have to come up with an explanation for their family. They can't know what really happened, Billy. So, this better be the best lie you've ever told."


	3. Chapter 3

"I received a phone call from Agent Melrose," Dotty explained to the guard at the entrance to the Trauma ward. "He said there was some kind of accident with my daughter and son-in-law…"

The guard stood and stated, "Stay right here. I'll get him." He left her standing by the desk and disappeared through the large double doors. He returned several minutes later with Billy in tow.

"Mrs. West. You made good time," Billy greeted her.

"Well, I got here as soon as I could. I called Joe to be with the boys because I didn't know how long I would be here or how serious this was. You really didn't get into much detail on the phone," Dotty stated. "He was kind enough to let me use his car too since Amanda was gone and Lee took his car this morning."

"I'll be sure to thank Mr. King personally," Billy uttered. "Why don't you follow me and we can talk privately."

"What I would like is an explanation as to what is going on. I get a cryptic phone call from you, of all people, telling me there has been some kind of accident with Amanda and Lee and I need to get down here immediately, with no real explanation," Dotty demanded.

Billy held the door open to the same small room he and Francine had occupied an hour before. "Please, have a seat and I promise, I will explain everything," Billy assured her. "Can I get you some coffee, tea, water?"

Dotty shook her head no and sat down. She sat stiffly, her back straight, legs crossed and arms folded, her purse tucked into her lap. "Now, I want answers. What type of accident has happened to Amanda and Lee?" she snapped.

Billy sat across from Dotty and smoothed his mustache with his fingers before he began. "Mrs. West, have you heard on the news at all about the escaped convict that was still on the loose in the area?" he asked carefully.

"Of course! It's been all over the news, on every channel. I'm just surprised anyone can recognize him by that horrible sketch they continuously show on TV. I mean, really, shouldn't we know who we are supposed to be looking for?" Dotty babbled.

"From what I understand, his photograph was unavailable," Billy explained knowing full well Alan had taken his intake file with his photograph.

"But what does this have to do with Amanda and Lee?" Dotty demanded.

Billy pursed his lips then continued, "Well, unfortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Stetson had a run-in with the individual and I'm sorry to tell you but they've both been hurt. Now, Mrs. Stetson is already out of surgery and in recovery."

"What do you mean Amanda is out of surgery?! What kind of run-in?! What aren't you people telling me?!" Dotty snapped and sprang to her feet.

Billy stood and put his hand on her arm to try to calm her, "Mrs. West, please, I need you to calm down. I'll explain everything I can, but I need you to stay calm. I know this isn't easy."

"Isn't easy? You're telling me my daughter just got out of surgery and I need to calm down?" Dotty stated loudly. "What exactly happened to my daughter?"

Billy looked at her face and simply said, "She's been shot."

Dotty's face lost all color as she dropped back into the chair behind her, "Oh no. Not again. Please, tell me you're joking."

"I wish I was. But as I said, Mrs. Stetson is already out of surgery and from what I understand she is going to be fine. The bullet passed through her side and, although it damaged part of her liver, she is going to be fine," Billy explained.

"She's never going to be fine. I mean, this may seem like some normal, everyday event to you, but this is my daughter we're talking about here. She's not used to this and to be shot again…" Dotty's voice trailed off as she stared into the corner of the room.

"I'm very sorry, Mrs. West," Billy stated. He took a deep breath then added, "Mr. Stetson is still in surgery as we speak and I don't know how to say this but it doesn't look good for him."

Dotty's eyes widened as she turned her head back to look at him. "My God," she whispered. She looked down at her hands then straight at Billy and asked, "And what's with this Mr. and Mrs. Stetson nonsense. We both know you know them better than that. Now I need to know, what did he do to them?"

Billy swallowed hard and quickly reviewed the plan in his head. He exhaled and explained, "Lee went up to meet Amanda on location for IFF near the Old Forest Campground. They were in Lee's car heading down to town to pick up lunch when they pulled over for a car with a flat tire. It must have looked like it slid off the road due to the snowfall. From what we can gather, they both got out to help the driver who turned out to be our escaped convict. Now, we're not entirely sure how or why, but he shot the two of them and took off in Lee's car."

"Why? Why would anyone hurt them like that?" Dotty demanded. She was fighting back the tears and the anger that threatened to spill over any second.

Billy shook his head, "I don't know. But I will say they were very lucky we found them when we did. We were in pursuit and not far behind. We were able to get a Medevac chopper and have them airlifted here instead of the local hospital."

Dotty pressed her hand to her chest and replied, "I don't know what to say."

"I will tell you if it's any peace of mind, that the convict was killed in a shoot-out with several of our agents," Billy stated.

"I need to see my daughter," Dotty said softly.

Billy stood and offered his hand, "I can take you to her. She's still in recovery, so, you won't be able to stay very long. She has an agent sitting with her now. We do need to get a full statement from her once she's awake."

Dotty took Billy's hand to stand and squeezed it gently. "I guess I should thank you for all you've done to help them," she sighed.

Billy squeezed her hand back and admitted, "I only wish there was more I could do."

"They're strong...fighters. Amanda fought when that awfulness happened in California and she'll fight again. And Lee…he's the strongest man I've ever met and I'm telling you, he's going to pull through. I know he will," Dotty informed Billy as she lifted her chin a notch, with a single tear rolling down her cheek, and released his hand with one final squeeze.

Billy pulled the door open and Dotty followed him down the hallway to where one agent sat outside of a closed door. He nodded at the agent and knocked three times before pulling the door open. Francine was sitting beside the bed Amanda now lay in. "Mrs. West," Francine acknowledged Dotty. Dotty simply gasped at the sight of her daughter, once again, in a hospital bed looking very frail. "She's asleep now. She hasn't said much since she came out of surgery, but the nurse said that's normal. It could be hours before she shakes off all the anesthesia."

"Francine, I don't know what to say," Dotty whispered as she brought her fingers to her lips.

Francine moved away from the bed and offered the seat to Dotty, "Why don't you sit here for a while. I could use a break to stand for a bit."

"How could anyone do this to them? Why?" Dotty whispered as more tears began to snake down her cheeks.

Francine glanced at Billy before hugging Dotty, "He can't hurt anyone anymore. And right now, we don't need to think about him or what he did. We need to concentrate on getting Amanda and Lee better and home where they belong."


	4. Chapter 4

Amanda's head was cushioned by several soft pillows as she lay in the hospital bed. She had an IV line carefully taped along her wrist and on one finger, an oxygen sensor blinked repetitiously. Amanda's nasal cannula was tucked carefully behind her ears and her heart monitors were silently ticking off on the screen above the bed. Francine sat beside her and glanced over as she watched Amanda's hand begin to twitch.

Deep in sleep, Amanda dreamed she was back in the cabin. _She watched as Lee crumpled to the floor and a crimson stain grew rapidly across his chest. She screamed his name and the only response she got was Alan laughing behind her. "I told you he wouldn't have you again. You're mine forever," he mocked, his blue eyes flashing._

Amanda turned her head on the pillow, getting Francine's full attention. _Still dreaming, Amanda hissed angrily, "I won't stay with you." Without a word, Alan reached out and grabbed her wrist. Amanda twisted her arm, trying to break free of his grasp. Suddenly, she felt something cold and metallic around her wrist. When she looked down, she was handcuffed once again to the metal frame of the bed. "Alan? Alan, let me go!" she called out, but again, his only response was a burst of deep maniacal laughter this time coming from the darkness._

Amanda reached across the hospital bed and gripped the IV line that had managed to twist its way around her wrist in her struggles. She began murmuring in a soft, low voice, so low Francine barely heard her. Francine could see the heart monitors begin to spike as Amanda clawed at the IV. She quickly scrambled to her feet and reached out to take Amanda's hand in hers.

" _Alan?" Amanda called out again, but this time there was no response. She stopped struggling against the handcuff and watched as Lee entered the bedroom slowly. A bright light emanated from all around him. "Lee? I thought you were… I thought Alan…" Amanda couldn't find the words as Lee got closer. She reached out for him and just as she found his hand, he morphed into Alan. She tried to pull her hand away, but the hand holding hers held tight._

Francine sat on the edge of the bed, holding Amanda's hand. She brushed Amanda's hair off her face as she tried to talk softly to her, "Amanda, wake up. It's Francine. I need you to wake up."

_Amanda felt pressure on the bed beside her and saw Alan looming over her, still holding her hand tightly. He leaned closer to her and whispered, "You're mine forever." The word forever echoed loudly through her mind as she closed her eyes tightly and fought to scramble away from him._

"Amanda," Francine spoke louder. She watched as Amanda's eyes snapped open, blinded by panic. She struggled against Francine, whimpering as she tried to pull her hand loose. Suddenly, the heart monitors blared to life as her heart rate shot up dangerously high. "Amanda, it's me. It's Francine. You're okay. He can't hurt you anymore."

Amanda stopped struggling, her face relaxed slightly as she blinked several times slowly. "Francine?" she whispered huskily.

"Yes, it's me. You're okay. You're in the hospital," Francine assured her.

Amanda slumped against the pillows, her heart rate slowly dropping. The door swung inward as Nurse Moriarity entered the room quickly. "She's awake," she announced. She moved to the monitors to silence them once more.

"Yeah, she was having a nightmare," Francine explained. She remained on the side of the bed, holding Amanda's hand, now relaxed in her own.

"Hmm, that's to be expected. Trauma, combined with anesthesia, usually does the trick. It's gonna take a while and probably some good therapy," Nurse Moriarity said sympathetically. "I'll be down the hall if you need anything."

"Some water, please," Amanda whispered.

"Of course," Nurse Moriarity picked up the pink water pitcher beside the bed and poured a small cup. She dropped a bendable straw into the cup and held it for her as Amanda sipped slowly.

"Thank you," Amanda exhaled softly. Nurse Moriarity placed the cup on the portable table and left the room with a simple nod of her head.

Francine patted Amanda's hand reassuringly, "You know Billy and I are here for you."

"I know," Amanda nodded, unaware a single tear had found its way down her pale cheek. More tears formed in Amanda's eyes as she pictured Lee on the floor of the cabin bleeding. She didn't want to believe he was dead. She looked down at her hands and asked quietly, "Francine, I need to know…is Lee?"

"He was in surgery the last I heard," Francine gave her a weak smile.

The tears flowed freely as Amanda covered her face in relief. Francine hugged her gently, allowing Amanda to release the emotions she had been holding back. "Amanda, I know this is going to be hard, but I need to ask you about what happened from the time Squires grabbed you until we found you," Francine explained slowly.

Amanda carefully pushed herself up to a slightly higher position and took a breath. She winced before exhaling slowly. Francine eyed her carefully but Amanda shook her head, "I'm okay. It hurts but it's reminding me I'm alive."

Francine nodded, "I'm familiar with the feeling. Go on, tell me what happened."

"Well, I was at the safe house and I noticed Charlotte was running a fever. There was nothing there for me to give her and I know it was against protocol, but the pharmacy was only a mile away. So, I thought I'd be okay to just run down to the pharmacy to pick her up some aspirin and come right back and they'd never even know I was gone," Amanda immediately began to ramble. "If I had to go back and do it all over again, I never would have left but I kept thinking if that was one of my boys and they were sick, I would want someone to take care of them, too."

"It's okay, you're not in trouble. Don't worry. But I need to know what happened next," Francine encouraged her.

"I was almost at my car when I felt someone behind me. Then a cloth covered my face and the next thing I knew I was handcuffed to a bed," Amanda twitched her head to the side.

Francine nodded, "That confirms what we found. Then what?"

Amanda thought back over the last few days in the cabin. She wasn't sure how much detail Francine wanted, so, she summarized, "Alan made meals for me, brought me clothes to change into. He took care of me, I guess you could say."

Francine pursed her lips, uncomfortable with the question she knew she had to ask her friend. "Amanda, did he…hurt you in any way?"

"No, not really. I mean, yes, he drugged me with something when I tried to escape once but that was the only time," Amanda shook her head quickly.

"Then he didn't touch you…" Francine let the implication of her words set in.

Amanda's eyes widened when it dawned on her what Francine was getting at. "No. He didn't touch me or do anything he shouldn't have, really. He was trying to be a gentleman, I guess," Amanda insisted.

Francine blew out the breath she had been holding, "Okay, I need you to tell me about the shooting."

Amanda tried to focus on the last hour they were in the cabin. After several minutes, Amanda said quietly, "Alan was going to take me to the Dominican Republic. We were doing a last-minute check of the cabin when I saw Lee outside. I distracted Alan as long as I could until Lee got inside. I didn't know Alan had a gun. I wasn't aware of it the entire time we were alone and he never once mentioned it."

"So, Lee entered the cabin and Alan produced a gun. What happened after that?" Francine pushed.

"They were talking, Lee and Alan, while Alan held onto me. We got a little closer to Lee and I was able to distract Alan long enough to break free of his arm. I hit him with the handcuff still on my wrist. He left it there, I don't know why, but he did and I swung my arms up and I hit him. Then I tried to get away, I tried. I took a step forward and I don't know if I tripped or I fell or what happened but the next sound I heard…." Amanda's trembling voice faded as she remembered the instant both guns went off. In her mind, the scene played over and over, the intensity of the images so clear, her pain magnified as she twisted sideways on the bed as if reenacting what had happened.

Francine watched as fear, then an expression of horror flickered over Amanda's face just before she spasmed. "Amanda, stay with me. You're with me, in the hospital. You're not in that cabin. Squires can't hurt you anymore, you hear me?"

Amanda's eyes focused on Francine's face quickly and she sagged against the pillows once more. "You mean he's dead?"

"Yes, Amanda," Francine took Amanda's hands in hers and stated, "Alan Squires is dead. He was shot, I assume by Lee."

"I need to see Lee. I need to know how he is," Amanda switched gears, focusing on her husband.

"Remember, the last I knew he was still in surgery," Francine explained.

"I need to know he's okay, Francine, please," Amanda begged.

Francine stood and said, "Let me check with the nurse. Maybe she has more information." She opened the door and made eye contact with Nurse Moriarity across the hall. She motioned for the nurse to come to the room.

"What can I do for you?" Nurse Moriarity asked Amanda as she stepped into the room.

"I need to know how my husband is," Amanda stated firmly.

"Lee Stetson, the other agent that was brought in," Francine confirmed.

Nurse Moriarity smiled, "I heard he survived the surgery and is now in recovery. I'll have Dr. Daniels come down and talk to you."


	5. Chapter 5

Dr. Daniels sat with Billy in another small waiting room. Both men held a Styrofoam cup of lukewarm coffee as Dr. Daniels explained Lee's condition, "I don't know how your man is still alive, but he is. Barely. We've given him several transfusions already and now that they finally stopped the bleeding, he's still a long way before he's out of the woods."

Billy took a sip of the coffee in his hand, grimaced and asked, "Exactly how much damage are we talking?"

"Well, we've had to insert a chest tube to help keep the space around that lung clear. We've had to drain off a lot of fluid building up already. He's damn lucky he didn't lose the lower half of that lobe. He's got two shattered ribs that are going to take a long time to heal. And his heart? I've never seen anyone survive this long with the kind of injury he had. He must have something good to live for," Dr. Daniels detailed Lee's injuries.

Billy grunted and gave his head a sharp shake, "He has his whole life to live for. He's only been married for about a year and she is his best friend. No one knows him like she does, not even me."

"That's the woman that came in with the other gunshot wound, right? Um, Amanda Stetson?" Dr. Daniels questioned.

"Yes, Amanda. This is going to be hard on both of them, I'm sure. Is there anything we can do for either one of them?" Billy asked before he took another sip of his coffee. He blanched at the bitter-tasting liquid before tossing the cup in a nearby trash can.

Dr. Daniels shook his head, "There's not much you can do. Pray? Time is the only thing they both need. But I suppose from the hospital point of view, I could ask if you'd like to donate blood. We're always in need of that."

"I'll be sure to do that. Heck, I'll get all my available agents down here to do that as soon as possible," Billy stated firmly.

They heard a soft knock on the door as Nurse Moriarity leaned inside. "Doctor, Mrs. Stetson is awake. She's asking about her husband."

Dr. Daniels followed the nurse into the hall, Billy only a few steps behind. He knocked on Amanda's door and the two men entered the dimly lit room. Francine exhaled nervously when she saw the apprehensive look on Billy's face. "Mrs. Stetson, how are you feeling?" Dr. Daniels began. He stood beside the bed and glanced up at the heart rate monitors.

Amanda shifted uncomfortably on the bed. "I'm in pain," she admitted.

Dr. Daniels reached for her chart, skimmed the orders then said, "I can give you something if you'd like. Just a little to take the edge off."

"I need to see my husband. Seeing Lee would make me feel a lot better," Amanda smiled weakly. She attempted to sit higher until she felt a sharp pain in her side. She took a hissed breath before exhaling slowly as she leaned back against the pillows.

"Your husband is still in recovery at the moment. He won't be moved into our Critical Cardiac Care Unit for a while. I don't know how I can sugar-coat this for you," Dr. Daniels began.

"Just tell me the truth, please," Amanda begged softly.

"Your husband has two shattered ribs; his lung has been punctured by the bullet which ended up resting in an artery against his heart. We have him on a ventilator to help him breathe and we're keeping him in a medically induced coma, so we can stack the deck a little in our favor," Dr. Daniels explained. Amanda sat quietly processing the doctor's explanation. Francine moved to stand near the head of the bed where she put her hand on Amanda's shoulder to comfort her. "It's a miracle he's even alive right now," Dr. Daniels added.

Amanda blinked back the tears as she processed his last words. "Will he be okay?" she asked softly.

"I can't answer that. I can't even say the I could answer that twenty-four hours from now. Honestly, he's lost so much blood, we're concerned what effect that could have on his brain," Dr. Daniels shook his head.

Amanda's eyes widened and she gasped, "You don't mean… you don't think his brain could be damaged, too, do you?"

"I can't say for sure. All I can say is he has quite an uphill battle coming his way," Dr. Daniels stated. "But I can offer you some pain meds. It will give you some relief and it might help you sleep a little more comfortably, as well."

Amanda looked over at Francine, her eyes wary. "I'll be here, don't worry. If I have to sleep on that chair over there, I'll be here when you wake up," Francine assured her, pointing to a hard-plastic chair in the corner.

"Now, Mrs. Stetson, whatever medicine we do give you, it will have to be minimal because of the damage to your liver," Dr. Daniels explained.

Amanda sighed, "Please, just something to take the edge off. It's not that bad, it's just-"

"Amanda, you don't have to play the hero here. Getting shot hurts. There's no shame in admitting you're in pain," Francine cut her off.

Dr. Daniels took Amanda's chart with him and stated, "I'll be back in a few minutes with something." He left the room, leaving Billy and Francine alone with Amanda.

"Sir?" Amanda whispered to Billy. "Do you think Lee is going to be all right?"

Billy pressed his lips together in a tight line. "I can't answer that. I know what the doctor said but I also know Lee," he stated solemnly.

"And Alan… he's really…." Amanda's voice trailed off.

"Yes, he's really dead. The bullet was a clean shot. He didn't have a chance," Billy said. "Amanda, I know this isn't the best timing, but I have to ask. Who pulled the trigger? Was it Lee or did you somehow get ahold of his gun?"

"No, it was Lee. He had no choice, really. Alan was holding onto me; he had the gun to my…" Amanda choked on her words as images flashed through her mind once more. She rubbed her forehead with two fingers before she finished, "Lee told him to drop it, but Alan wouldn't listen."

"It's okay, I had to ask. You know that," Billy assured her.

Amanda smiled weakly once more, "I know."

"By the way, your mother was here earlier," he informed her.

"Mother? She was here?" Amanda squeaked.

Billy nodded as he approached the bed, "I sent her home about an hour ago. It was late, and she said Joe told the boys a little bit of what happened. I guess Jamie took the news pretty hard. He had some kind of panic attack or something, so, I told her to go home and calm him. We were staying right here with you."

"Oh my gosh, Jamie. Joe told the boys? What did he know that he could have told them?" Amanda choked as she pictured her son all upset. She knew the anguish he went through when she was in California and her pediatrician had recommended a wonderful psychologist. After several sessions with him, Jamie seemed to cope better with what had happened but now, she knew, this would bring back all those fears all over again. And to make this worse, Jamie and Lee had built a solid relationship after their rocky start. She knew her sons would be devastated if Lee succumbed to his injuries.

"He only knew what we told your mother," Billy assured her.

She took a shaky breath and asked, "What exactly did you tell Mother?"

Francine sat on the edge of the bed again, "Well, we told her you and Lee stopped to help a motorist with a flat tire but he turned out to be the escaped convict from the news reports."

"Did she believe you?" Amanda questioned, unsure.

"Yes, I think so. I told her Lee had gone up to take you out to lunch when everything happened. I also told her he was killed in a shootout with some of our agents. Technically I didn't lie, I just modified the truth a little," Billy joked trying to lighten the mood. "I know how you feel about lying to your mother."

Amanda coughed a laugh at Billy's attempt at humoring her. Before she could reply, Dr. Daniels returned carrying a small, white, paper cup. "This should do the trick, Mrs. Stetson. I know you probably won't rest until you have an update on your husband, but you're not going to do him any good if you're not healed either. As soon as he is settled in CCU, I'll send someone down to let you know." He handed Amanda the small cup, and gestured with two fingers, "Down the hatch!"

Amanda looked at the small pill then tentatively swallowed it along with a sip of water. She settled back against the pillow and sighed audibly.

Dr. Daniels smiled at Francine and informed her, "I've ordered up a cot for you. Those chairs get a little uncomfortable after a while." He looked back in Amanda's direction and said, "Relax. Doctor's orders. There's nothing more you can do right now."

"Thank you, Doctor," Francine nodded before he slipped out of the room without another word.

"Sir," Amanda said quietly, "I should probably call my mother. I know it's late but she's bound to be worried."

Billy nodded with a small smile, "That's a good idea. And let Mrs. West know that we can send a car for her any time she wants to come back. She doesn't have to bother Joe or pay for a taxi."

Amanda lifted the phone receiver and said softly, "That's very kind of you. She'll appreciate the thought."


	6. Chapter 6

The orderly slowly wheeled Lee's bed into his assigned room in the Cardiac Critical Care unit while the nurses followed only steps behind. The orderly hung around and watched as the two women worked side by side, getting all the machines connected properly, Lee's current vitals were recorded, his IVs were checked, and the bags shifted onto another pole. "I can wait around a few minutes if you want," the orderly offered.

One nurse smiled at him, "That would be nice. I think we have another patient coming up from the OR soon."

Although in all outward appearances Lee was fully sedated, he was able to hear the sounds all around him but he was unable to react or respond. In his unconscious state, the husky voice of the nurse triggered an image of Amanda to materialize in his mind. The orderly spoke the words that immediately rocketed him back through time to the first moment they met. "Just walk _with me."_

_Lee could feel everything around him. The heat from the steam of the train, the crisp fall air, the movement of the people milling around, trying to get to their final destinations. He could smell Amanda's favorite lotion as he tucked his arm around her, guiding her to walk with him._

" _I certainly will not!" she balked as she tried to pull away._

" _Please. I'm in trouble," Lee heard himself beg._

_Amanda tried to pull away again, "Oh! No. I've got to go!"_

_Lee heard himself pleading with her, completely exasperated, "Just one minute. Please!"_

_He felt Amanda jerk loose as she insisted, "No!"_

_Lee managed to catch her once more as he heard himself explain, "I'm in trouble. Please. . ." He looked directly into her eyes as he pleaded with her. He heard his final whisper "Please!"_

_Emotions flooded his memory as he watched Amanda close her eyes and exhaled before asking, "What is it you want me to do?" Her features softened as if she knew she could trust him._

_Lee felt himself push the package into her hands as he gently guided her along, "Just take this. Get on the train. It's a matter of life and death!"_

_He felt Amanda tense in his arms as she replied, "Life and death?"_

_And before his brain scattered forward, he heard himself state, "Hand it to the man in a red hat."_

The nurse shifted his cardiac leads on his chest when she noticed that his heart rate had jumped slightly.

_Lee found himself slamming a metal door angrily. He gave a sideways glance and Amanda was right beside him walking, step for step._

" _You knew I wanted the package! Why didn't you bring it with you?" he snapped._

_He heard Amanda groan, "Insurance! I figured if you were a gangster, you couldn't kill me if you needed me to get to it!"_

_Lee could feel the twitch of his cheek muscle as he gritted his teeth and heard himself reprimand her, "That's how your mind works? Most people would be happy to get rid of something like that!"_

_He watched as Amanda turned to him and rebuked, "Most people wouldn't have taken the damn thing in the first place! Most people wouldn't have called you up or met you at some dumb party, a party for which I was hideously underdressed, so would you mind not yelling at me?"_

The nurse checked his pulse and adjusted another lead as his heart rate leveled off. "Settle down, bud. You've got lots of healing to do. No need to jump the gun on anything."

_Lee looked around as his surroundings morphed into Amanda's den. She was sitting across from him as he paced back and forth. He ran his fingers through his hair as he muttered, "So… uh… So, I'm very- very sorry, Amanda. I lost my temper again. I seem to be always saying things that, uh-"_

_Amanda sat stiffly and replied, "Well, sometimes that's when people are most honest." Her voice sounded strained, even to him._

_Lee heard himself agree, "Yeah, and the dumbest, so…" He looked at the pile of laundry he had dumped out on the table. The bright pink HOT MAMA t-shirt mocking him._

_Amanda looked so serious as she said, "Lee, I think we should stop."_

_Tossing his hand in the direction of the laundry he agreed, "Yeah, there's no microdot in this laundry."_

_He sensed a shift in Amanda's demeanor from indifference to something else he couldn't quite put his finger on. "No, I don't mean that. I think we should stop working together. I don't think we should be partners anymore," she stated, her voice hoarse._

_Lee could feel himself becoming defensive again, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. We have never been partners."_

_Amanda nodded, "Oh, yes, we have. We've been part-"_

_Lee immediately cut her off sharply, reminding her, "I don't work with partners, Amanda, and you know it."_

_He groaned as he heard her state, "You're losing your temper again."_

_Loudly he heard himself dispute her claim, "I am not losing my temper!"_

_He watched as Amanda sat, stone-faced and said, "I know you think I really messed up this time."_

_Lee looked away, frustrated and heard himself mutter, "Oh, Amanda, you make me crazy."_

_Without looking back at her he could hear her continue, "I know that you think that I'm right for The Agency."_

_Groaning, he looked back at Amanda and asked, "Why are we having this discussion?"_

" _And I just want you to remember that I didn't ask to join The Agency. I mean, you got me into it in the first place," she reminded him, ignoring his question._

_He cringed as he heard himself snap defensively, "Well, I'm not holding you there, am I?"_

_Amanda stared at him for a moment before she whispered a defeated, "No."_

_Lee closed his eyes and immediately he could smell the heavy salt air and could hear the water lapping against the dock. He heard himself suggest, "Amanda, I think… I think you ought to give it a little more thought." Opening his eyes, he found them near the water, an ambulance behind them loading a gurney inside. His wrists felt irritated as he rubbed them gently._

_He could hear the relief in Amanda's voice as she agreed, "I think you're right. I think maybe I didn't know what it was you were really saying."_

_Lee laughed, "Yeah, that was probably it. And I guess I really didn't understand what you were saying."_

_Nervously he heard Amanda reply, "Yeah." as he mumbled, "So, uh." Amanda shrugged her shoulders and said, "The only trouble is, I already-"_

_Lee stopped her comment as he produced an envelope. He could feel the smooth surfaces as he unfolded the paper and began to explain, "I… happened to intercept this, this morning. It says…" He grinned as he heard her mutter, "I know" as he continued to read, "I, Amanda King, hereby resign."_

_He watched Amanda exhale as she asked, "What should we do with it?"_

_Lee felt himself relax when he suggested, "Well, how about the circular file?" He bunched up the envelope when Amanda's smile lit up her face. He heard her chuckle as he pitched the envelope into a can several feet away. He felt the warmth of her smile as he stated, "Partner," offering her his hand._

"Just a few more adjustments and I'll stop moving you around," the nurse chattered to Lee. She brushed his hair off his forehead before she moved his hands to rest comfortably by his sides.

" _I just don't trust her." Lee heard Amanda insist._

_He could still smell the salt in the air, only now, it smelled different. He looked around to find them on a stone bridge. The old buildings across the water reminded him of London as he heard himself reply, "I don't know what makes me ask this, but why don't you trust her?"_

_Amanda's expressive brown eyes held his as she said, "It's a feeling."_

" _Oh, that's solid, huh," Lee dismissed her._

_Amanda pressed her lips together as she continued, "Hmmm mmmmm. I don't think she loves her husband."_

_Lee felt himself exhale before he explained, "Amanda, she's been married to him for twelve years, she's stood by him through this whole scandal."_

_Amanda shook her head in disagreement, "That's very nice, but I don't think she loves him."_

_Lee heard himself groan, "Amanda, noooo."_

" _Lee, there's just something about the way that she looks at him. There's nothing in her face when she looks at him. She just doesn't look like she loves him," Amanda stated intuitively._

_Lee groaned again as he shook his head, "Nooo."_

" _There's nothing in her eyes. And they never touch each other. Have you ever seen them hold hands or have you ever seen him put his arm around her... or she... You know people who care about each other," Amanda paused momentarily as she took Lee's hands in hers. He could feel her warmth as she caressed his hands and arms to prove her point. "You know they want to be close to each other… and they… ah…" It wasn't until she heard Lee take a sharp inhale and they made eye contact that she released him and looked nervously out over the water, adding, "She doesn't touch him." Lee licked his lips as he broke eye contact himself looking the opposite direction._

_When Lee looked back at her, they were sitting at a table in a restaurant. A few patrons sat around them and the waiters were bustling around, carrying trays of food and drinks. "Amanda. There's something else I've gotta talk to you about," he said. His face felt scratchy from a few days stubble and inwardly he was ashamed of himself. He knew slapping her cheek hours before was wrong, although he was only trying to stay in character, hoping Jack bought his act. His heart sank when Amanda completely broke eye contact with him, staring at the tablecloth._

" _No. That's all right," she said softly._

_He heard himself insist, "No, no, no, no. "_

_He knew she was uncomfortable as she tried again, "No, no, really. "_

_Lee knew his apology needed to be heartfelt and to see her unable to look at him hurt, "No, listen. There's some things that I ... Back there at Nedlinger's, what I did and, you know, what I said, it was just to, to keep you away from me, that's all. "He silently prayed she understood he would never intentionally hurt her._

_It was her gentle smile and her soft acceptance that gave him hope, "That's all right. I understand."_

" _No, it's not. Amanda, I really am sorry.," Lee stated truthfully._

_Amanda lifted her eyes to meet his once again, reassuring him, "That's okay. I really do understand." Lee could only shake his head and smile, completely amazed by not only her friendship but her forgiveness as well._

In the hall, another nurse rattled a cart filled with medications loudly. She bumped into the nurse leaving Lee's room and the pair stood in his doorway, talking loudly. "It was all over the news," one nurse commented as Lee was brought to another place in time in his memories.

_Lee was standing in a park, surrounded by ambulances, police, and other emergency personnel. He scanned the area, fear written all over his face. It wasn't until he spotted Amanda, standing alone at the top of the hill did he release the breath he was holding and ran to her._

" _Amanda? Amanda, are you okay? When I heard you were here I thought maybe..." His voice faded when he finally reached her and gently placed his hands onto her arms. Amanda immediately grabbed for the lapels on his jacket, her hands shaking still._

" _I'm okay," she assured him. "That poor man never even had a chance. Lee, I felt the bomb when it blew and it was like running into a brick wall and I wasn't even all that close. Oh," she exhaled as Lee held her close, wrapping his arms across her shoulders. He needed to feel her close to him. Too many thoughts had crossed through his mind when he heard about the bombing._

" _Just thank God you weren't hurt, that's all," Lee whispered loudly as he gently rocked her side to side, comforting himself as much as her._

_Amanda nodded sharply "I'm okay." She exhaled once more before turning away from him._

_Lee exhaled with her as he propped his hands onto his hips. Suddenly, he was surrounded by the smell and sounds of the marina, Amanda beside him. "Well, uh… you're probably busy tonight, right? PTA, eh, Den mother's club?" he heard himself ask._

" _No," Amanda replied with a shy smile and a shake of her head._

" _Not your mother's card club?" Lee questioned, hopeful._

" _Nope," Amanda confirmed as she stopped walking and turned to face him._

" _Oh… I thought maybe uh, I thought maybe we'd have dinner tonight. You know, just the two of us, alone," Lee offered, coming to a standstill. He jammed his hands in his pockets, unsure what to do with them as his palms began to sweat._

" _Well, you and Leslie have a dinner party at the Russian Embassy tonight," Amanda reminded him sweetly._

" _Uh," Lee muttered as he bobbed his head a few times, "Yeah. Uh, yeah, she won't be lonely believe me. She's working anyway. She's got her own invitation." He was relieved when Amanda exhaled loudly with a smile._

_Lee continued, "No, I thought maybe a steak, a bottle of red wine, baked potato on the side. No shop talk for a change." Amanda smiled and nodded slightly. "You know, we don't do enough of that, do we?"_

_Amanda shook her head no, and still smiling, agreed, "Not by a half."_

_Lee chuckled as he realized how important Amanda really was to him at that exact moment. He knew she was his whole world and he would be totally lost without her._


	7. Chapter 7

Amanda looked across the room at Francine's exasperated expression. "Go home, Francine. Please. I'm going to be fine. I'm not going anywhere. I can't go anywhere. I'm here, in this bed, with this IV in my arm, the monitors on my chest," Amanda groaned once more.

Francine stood her ground, her hands planted firmly on her hips, "I know that, Amanda, but I also told Billy I wouldn't leave you alone for one minute."

Amanda exhaled through pursed lips, "I'm not going to be alone. There is an agent outside, the nurse comes in practically every twenty minutes. And Mother said the agent was going to be there soon to bring her here, just like Billy promised. So, I will not be alone. Go home. Take a shower. Take a nap in your own bed because I know you slept just about as much as I did last night."

Francine blinked several times before she finally relented. "You sure you're going to be okay?" she questioned warily.

"I'll be fine. I'm just going to lay here and close my eyes until Mother gets here," Amanda assured her.

"You're not going to try to leave this room? Because I'll order a shoot-on-sight if I have to, Amanda Stetson," Francine declared.

Amanda smiled at her friend as she shook her head, "There will be no need for that. Besides, I've already been shot, what good will that do me."

Francine relaxed and chuckled, "I'll be back in two hours. Don't move from this room."

"Make it three," Amanda stated. "You need to rest. Make it three," she insisted.

Francine sat on the edge of Amanda's bed and took Amanda's hands in hers, "Okay, three. But you will promise me you're not going to go see Lee yet. The doctor was in there this morning and he said he's critical but seems to be stable. You still need a little more time to heal before you go rushing up there. He's going to need you to lean on."

"I'm a lot stronger than I look, Francine, now go," Amanda squeezed Francine's hands before she laid back against the pillow.

Francine slowly released her hands and crossed the room to the door, stopping once to pick up her purse. "Take it easy while I'm gone." She looked at Amanda once more, closed the gap between them to give her a small hug. "I'll be back in three hours, no later."

Amanda's reply was a small smile before she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She immediately began dreaming she was back in the woods running from Alan. _She could hear the car engine racing, feel the cold ground despite the thick socks she was wearing. She could see her breath clouding before her as she panted, breathless from running. In her dream, she looked from side to side before darting to the next tree. She heard the car stop, the thump of the door as it closed then the sound of crunching leaves as Alan walked closer to her._ She tried to run but when she felt hands gripping her arm she screamed loudly and bolted to an upright position on the bed.

"Amanda! Amanda, it's just me. It's just me. You were having a bad dream," Dotty exclaimed as she tried to calm her daughter.

"Mother?" Amanda asked confused. Realization set in fast as she looked into her mother's worried eyes. "Oh, Mother, it's you," she cried. Dotty pulled Amanda into a hug as Amanda's tears began to fall.

"I'm here, Darling. It's going to be okay," Dotty assured her as she stroked her shoulders and back gently. "Tell me, what you were dreaming about?"

Amanda closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. "I can't. I don't… I don't remember," she lied. The image of Alan only a few feet away from her was still etched in her mind's eye.

Dotty rocked her for another minute as she cooed, "I have you and I'm not going to let anything bad happen." When Amanda finally began to calm, Dotty leaned back, brushed Amanda's hair off her face and asked, "Do you need anything? Are you in pain? I can call the nurse."

Amanda relaxed back against the pillow but one hand lingered on Dotty's arm, "No, I'm okay now. You don't need to call her."

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't think they'll mind. After all, you got shot, Amanda. How awful! Just when you and Lee were trying to help that man," Dotty began to ramble.

Amanda closed her eyes and tried to remember what Billy said. "Yes, we did, Mother," she whispered softly.

"You were just trying to be good citizens and stop to help someone in need. And who would have thought that it would have been that escaped prisoner they were talking about on the news this whole time," Dotty continued. "Oh, you probably didn't even know anything about that because you were on location. It's all they talked about all weekend."

Amanda pressed her fingers on the bridge of her nose, "Mother, could you get me some water, please? I think I'm getting a little bit of a headache."

Dotty scrambled off the edge of the bed, "Of course. Did you eat anything? I don't know how the food is in this hospital but if you want me to make you something and bring it back later, I will." She poured Amanda a small cup of water and gently handed it to her.

Amanda sipped the cool liquid slowly, "I ate a little this morning. The pain medicine isn't helping my stomach at all."

Before Dotty could reply, they heard a gentle rapping on the door before Dr. Daniels stepped into the room. "Mrs. Stetson, do you remember me? I'm Dr. Daniels. I'm the chief resident handling both you and your husband's case. Are you up to talking for a few minutes?"

"Oh, Doctor, thank goodness you came in when you did. My daughter has a bit of a headache. Now, what do you think could be causing that?" Dotty questioned him.

"I'm sorry, you are?" Dr. Daniels looked at Dotty confused.

"That's my mother, Mrs. West," Amanda explained.

Dr. Daniels nodded in acknowledgment, "Mrs. West, that's right. You were here late last night for a while. Well, let me do a cursory exam and I can see what we can do about your daughter's headache." He turned to Amanda and asked, "May I?"

Amanda nodded and he removed his stethoscope from around his neck to listen to her heart and lungs. He gently removed the bandage on her stomach to check for any seeping from the incision, rolled her gently to repeat the examination of the incision on her back. Satisfied he asked, "How was your appetite this morning?" Amanda simply shrugged her shoulders in response. Dr. Daniels lifted her chart off the end of her bed, made a few notes and stated, "It could be the pain meds are a little too strong for you. I'd like to try something else if that's okay with you. Something that works just as well with fewer side effects."

"Doctor? How is my husband?" Amanda asked softly.

Dr. Daniels looked at Amanda, then at Dotty's expectant face. "Mrs. West, could I bother you to do something for me? I would like to get this medication ordered as quickly as possible, so, would you mind bringing Mrs. Stetson's chart to the nurse at the desk?" He handed her the silver chart holder with a charismatic smile.

Dotty's eyebrows shot up but she replied, "Of course. Why should my daughter be in pain any longer than necessary?" She took the chart and eagerly stepped out into the hallway.

When the door clicked closed again, Dr. Daniels stated, "I'm not going to pretend anything with you. Your husband is severely injured. We're keeping him under sedation still, but we have started monitoring his brain activity. It's standard procedure with all coma patients."

Amanda pressed her lips tightly together as she fought off the tears that threatened to fall, "So, there's been no change in his condition then?" she asked.

Dr. Daniels shook his head, "I just left his room a few minutes ago. Other than some abnormal heart rate fluctuations last night, no."

"I need to see him," Amanda stated as she lifted her chin.

"Mrs. Stetson, I don't think-" Dr. Daniels began.

"You don't understand. He needs me. He needs me to help him get better," Amanda insisted.

"But-" Dr. Daniels tried to interject; however, Amanda kept talking.

"My husband has always been there for me. Always. He's protected me more times than I can remember and now it's my turn. I need to be there for him, to protect him," Amanda cried, the tears flowing freely now.

Dr. Daniels sighed as he said, "You can't protect him from this, Mrs. Stetson. There's nothing to protect him from right now. The only thing you can do is pray that his brain heals just as much as his body does. That everything he went through-"

"I KNOW what he went through," Amanda snapped. "I've already had that battle when I got shot in the heart, Doctor. I know the fight he has and you know what? He was there for me, every step of the way. I was never alone, not once. And he shouldn't be alone, either."

"With all due respect, Mrs. Stetson, your husband is in a coma. He doesn't know if you or one of the agents assigned to him or the Pope himself is in the room with him," Dr. Daniels insisted.

"He might not know, but I will. Now please, bring me to my husband," Amanda stated firmly.

Reluctantly, Dr. Daniels nodded, "Okay, I'll have the nurse bring you to him after we finish running a few tests on him. It won't be long."

Dotty reappeared in the room and looked from Amanda's tear-stained face to the doctor's reserved one and asked, "What's going on?"


	8. Chapter 8

Dotty helped Amanda carefully climb off the bed as the nurse watched, holding the hand grips of the wheelchair. "Are you sure you are up to this, Amanda?" Dotty questioned as Amanda winced.

"Mother, I have to see him," Amanda insisted as she carefully lowered herself into the wheelchair. "Besides, aren't you going to bring the boys back after school this afternoon? I know you said Jamie was feeling better after I talked to you, but I think a hug will do him some good."

Dotty smoothed Amanda's hair after she settled herself into the wheelchair, "I didn't know what to tell them about Lee. The boys have become so close to him, especially Jamie. I couldn't possibly imagine how they are going to react."

"I know, Mother," Amanda whispered.

The nurse carefully wheeled Amanda into the hall where the agent guarding her door stood up and questioned, "Where are you taking her?"

Amanda reached up and touched his arm and explained, "I'm just going to see Lee. It's okay." The agent nodded and sat back down.

The nurse began to push Amanda slowly down the hall. They took the elevator up one floor, Dotty exhaling loudly as she read, "Cardiac Critical Care Unit." She paused for a moment, blinked, then asked, "Why is Lee in the cardiac unit?"

"Because the bullet lodged in his heart, Mother," Amanda choked back. She had been fighting back tears the second the elevator doors closed.

"Oh," Dotty whispered. "Well, he's strong. He'll be okay. I know he will. He has to be," she insisted.

The elevator doors opened and the nurse wheeled Amanda down the hall to the room directly across from the nurse's station. The blinds on the large window were closed. One nurse stepped out of the room as they approached. "Who is this?" she questioned.

"Mrs. Stetson. Dr. Daniels approved her visit," Amanda's nurse replied. "And Mrs. Stetson's mother, Mrs. West," she added.

The nurse nodded and held the door open, allowing Amanda and Dotty to get their first glimpse of Lee. "Oh my God," Dotty exhaled slowly as she covered her mouth with her hands. She looked at Amanda and quickly reached down to squeeze her shoulder before the nurse continued to push her into the room.

The nurse stopped at the foot of the bed and tried to set the wheel brake but Amanda begged, "Closer, please." She moved Amanda close enough for her to reach out and touch Lee's hand. She wrapped her fingers gently around it and commented, "He's so cold."

"That's because of the coma and the amount of blood loss he had," the nurse stated matter-of-factly. "I'll give you a few minutes alone but Dr. Daniels does not want you overexerting yourself, Mrs. Stetson."

"Thank you," Amanda said softly as she stroked Lee's hand with her thumb.

Dotty leaned close to Amanda and asked, "Do you want me to stay or go and get the boys?"

Amanda looked over her shoulder and said softly, "I think it would be best for you to get the boys, Mother. I'm okay."

"All right, I'll see you in a bit," Dotty agreed before kissing Amanda's cheek. She reached out and touched Lee's leg for several long seconds before exiting the room, leaving Amanda alone with Lee.

"Oh, Sweetheart," Amanda whispered. His only response was the beeps and clicks of the machines surrounding him. She carefully pushed herself to a standing position so she could touch his face. She brushed a lock of hair off his forehead and allowed her finger to trace the edge of the electrodes on his temple. As she stared down at his pale face, partially covered with the ventilator tape, she whispered, "Oh Lee, I thought you were…" She paused before adding, "Keep fighting, I know you're stronger than this." She didn't notice when his heart rate sped up a bit as she leaned forward to rest her forehead on his shoulder despite the pain in her side.

Lee barely heard Amanda's voice whisper, "It's gonna be all right, Sweetheart." In his mind, he spun back to another memory where he was the one comforting her.

_They were sitting in a room in the old Cumberland Resort, he was sitting on top of the couch looking down at Amanda. He reached out to touch her arm and assured her, "Look, it's gonna be all right."_

_Amanda looked up at him warily, "Is it?"_

_He nodded again, "Yeah."_

_He heard Amanda exhale as she asked, "Oh boy, don't you ever get tired of this?"_

_He tried to explain, "Comes with the territory." He knew she was scared and wanted to do his best to calm her fears._

" _No, that's what I mean. Don't you ever get tired of the territory? I mean, lately, I feel like I can't even make any plans in advance anymore. I missed Phillip's play when he was Rumpelstiltskin and… looks like I may even miss Jamie's first open house at school," Amanda explained sadly._

_He exhaled as he agreed, "Yeah, I hear ya. This job has cost me my share of relationships, that's for sure."_

_Amanda looked up at him and asked, "Why do you keep on doing it?"_

_He did his best Dirty Harry impersonation, "It's a dirty job but someone has to do it." He laughed softly hoping Amanda would relax a little_

_Amanda sighed, "Oh, come on, I'm trying to be serious."_

_His expression sobered as he said, "Well, I guess I am too. It is a job someone has to do." He nodded for emphasis as he continued, "I happen to do it well. There's parts of it I don't like... parts I like a lot... " His voice trailed off as he looked directly at Amanda. They exchanged tentative smiles before he asked, "But what about you? I mean, there are other part-time jobs that pay a lot more than this and are a hell of a lot less dangerous, right?"_

" _Oh, I don't know; I guess I have some kind of an idea about making the world a safer place for Phillip and Jamie. It's really pretty silly, isn't it?" Amanda replied as she looked away._

" _No. No, it isn't. And that's why...we are stuck with this," he assured her._

_Amanda resigned, "Yeah, I guess so." She smiled at him and the two of them continued to gaze at one another for a long moment before Amanda finally looked down at the magazine in her lap._

_It was at that moment that he realized he wanted to be there to protect her, always._

Amanda sobbed softly as she sat back into the wheelchair to take his hand again. She squeezed it gently and whispered, "Don't you worry. I'll be here the whole time to watch your back, just like I always do."

_Lee found himself standing in Amanda's bedroom, holding her in his arms. "Amanda…. I meant what I said on the phone. I just want you to know that before I go." He shook his head and exhaled, "I love you." He heard her gasp "Oh" and watched as she smiled demurely and looked down. "I have for a very, very long time. I just… I was just never ready to…" he nodded slightly, "You know." His heart soared as she smoothed the lapels on his jacket before moving her hands to his shoulders._

" _I know," she assured him with a smile. The next few seconds were a blur in his mind but he clearly heard her say, "Now, wait a minute. You can't just walk into my life, hand me a package, tell me to give it to the man in the red hat, tell me that you love me and walk out of my life again."_

_He shook his head as he whispered his agreement, "No." He could feel the pressure of her lips on his, her warm body pressed against his and her content murmurs in his ear. He vaguely remembered telling her he couldn't baby her and Amanda insisting he didn't have to._

_The next words that rang clear in his mind were Amanda admitting, "And I love you, too."_

"Mrs. Stetson, I'm sorry but I have to bring you back to your room now," the nurse appeared in the room.

"I'm not ready to go, yet," Amanda insisted, squeezing Lee's hand a little tighter.

The nurse nodded sympathetically, "I understand, but Dr. Daniels doesn't want you pushing yourself too much. He said I could bring you back later if you'd like."

Amanda blinked at the nurse twice before pushing herself to a standing position once more. She inhaled a sharp breath before she leaned close to Lee's ear and whispered, "We'll find a way through this, I promise, Sweetheart. Don't give up. I love you."

_Lee found himself kneeling on the floor, holding Amanda's hands in his, "We might not make it out of this one."_

_Amanda looked back at him sadly, and whispered, "Yeah, I know, it really stinks, doesn't it?" He watched her drop her chin, defeated._

_He gently lifted her chin to look into her sad, brown eyes. "Hey," he whispered to get her attention. "Amanda King, you are the best, the bravest, the smartest, most...beautiful woman I have ever known." Lee punctuated his words with a gentle pump of his fist._

_Amanda shook her head gently, clearly touched by his words. "I love you," she choked huskily._

_He opened his eyes wide as he asked, "Then, will you marry me?"_

_Amanda's mouth dropped open in surprise and as his words sunk in, she whispered, "Will I marry you?" He punctuated his request with a conformational nod of his head and continued to smile at her as he awaited an answer. "Oh yeah, I'll marry you," she whispered as they both smiled widely. She swallowed back the tears as she exhaled, "We're the luckiest two people on the face of the earth."_

_He grinned happily, gave his head a small shake as he laughed before pulling her tightly to him, kissing her firmly._

"That's a strong woman you have there," the nurse commented to the unconscious Lee as she adjusted his IV line. "Don't worry, I'm sure she's not going to leave easily when they tell her to go home."

" _Amanda," he uttered pacing back and forth. "Amanda, come on, he's gonna go home." He rushed back and knocked on the white door beside him." As he watched her step out of the bathroom, she took his breath away._

" _Okay," Amanda exhaled several times as she smiled at him._

" _You look beautiful," he exhaled. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, she was so beautiful._

" _You look handsome," she breathed._

_His heart swelled and he couldn't wipe the smile off his face as they exchanged their vows nor could he stop watching her. He wanted to take in every moment, etch the beauty of her face in his mind forever as they pledged their love to one another. He never wanted the feeling to end when he held her close and kissed her after they were announced, man and wife._

It was this feeling that he held onto now, her love giving him strength.


	9. Chapter 9

Amanda was pushing away the remnants of her lunch when she heard a knock on the door. Francine stepped into the room and cheerfully announced, "I'm back, just like I promised."

Amanda struggled to smile, "Hello, Francine."

Francine took a look at Amanda's barely touched lunch. "Mmmm, the food's that good, huh?" she joked.

"I'm just not very hungry," Amanda tried to explain but Francine lifted her hand to stop her.

"Tell you what, why don't I order something from Emilio's and have someone go pick it up," Francine suggested.

"No, really, it's okay. I'm really not hungry," Amanda insisted. She took a sip of her water before she whispered, "I saw Lee."

Francine sat on the edge of the bed and took Amanda's hand in hers, "I know he looks a little rough but he's gonna get through this."

Amanda shook her head sadly, "I don't know, Francine. I mean I want to believe he's going to make it, but there's this little voice in my head that keeps telling me to figure out life without him, you know. And it doesn't matter how much I try to ignore it; it keeps getting a little bit louder."

"Amanda, you can't think like that," Francine exclaimed.

"I don't want to, it's just..." Amanda's voice faded as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I don't know how to live without him, Francine," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Amanda Stetson, now you listen to me. Lee is going to get through this, you hear me. He's going to get stronger and he's going to beat this. Just don't give up," Francine admonished her.

"I know, I'm trying but seeing him lying there," Amanda cried.

Francine pulled Amanda into a hug as she assured her, "We'll get through this, together."

Several minutes later, Amanda sat back, wiped her tears once more and said, "Thank you, Francine. I don't know how I'd get through this without you and Billy. I can't really explain it all to Mother, can I?"

"Well, speaking of Billy, he's going to come by in a bit to go over what happened," Francine informed her.

Amanda sighed, "I don't know if I can do that right now, Francine. Mother and the boys will be coming soon, too. She was going to bring them as soon as they got out of school. It was awful nice of him to make sure my car was brought to the house."

"Well, you know Billy, he'll be as discretionary as he can," Francine reminded her.

Both their heads turned when they heard a knock on the door and Dotty ushered the boys inside. "Mom!" both boys exclaimed before rushing to her bed. Francine moved out of the way to allow each boy a chance to give Amanda a hug.

"I'll be in the hallway if you need anything," Francine said as she left the room, leaving Amanda with her family.

"Mom, are you okay? Are you in pain?" Jamie asked, his face etched with worry.

Amanda reached up to stroke his cheek with one hand as she assured him, "I'm going to be fine, Sweetheart. I'm going to be laid up for a few more days but then I can come home."

"Grandma said Lee's in rough shape," Philip stated. "He's not gonna… you know…he's not gonna…"

"He's not gonna die! He can't," Jamie snapped.

"I didn't say he was gonna, Wormbrain, I was just asking. I'm allowed to ask, you know," Philip snapped right back at his brother.

"Boys, just calm down," Amanda tried to settle them. "Now, yes, Lee's been hurt pretty bad and right now I don't know what's going to happen to him. But we need to have faith that he's going to get better."

"Well, I would feel a lot better if I could see him," Jamie admitted. He dropped his head, sniffled and tried to hide his tears.

Amanda shook her head slowly, "I'm not so sure that's a good idea or that the doctor will even let you boys in. I was only able to be with him for a few minutes this morning."

"But Mom, we're his family, they have to let us see him," Jamie insisted. He looked up at her, his hazel eyes filled with the tears he was fighting to hold back.

She reached out and touched her youngest son's face as she said, "I'll ask, but I'm not sure if the doctor will allow it, Sweetheart." She wiped away the tear that found its way down his cheek. "Come here, give me a hug. It's going to be okay." She pulled Jamie into her arms and stroked his back to calm him.

Amanda heard a knock on the door and turned her head to see Billy entering the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Amanda, but I need to talk to you about what happened. Official business, sorry," he glanced at Dotty and the boys.

Dotty frowned but stated, "I'll take the boys down to the cafeteria to get them something to eat. They didn't have a chance to get a snack after school today."

"That's a good idea, Mother," Amanda smiled weakly.

Billy reached into his pocket and handed Dotty a few bills, "Make it my treat. After all, I am the one disrupting your family time."

"Mr. Melrose, you really don't need-" Dotty began but Billy shook his head and said, "Need, no. I want to do this, please."

Dotty reached out and accepted the money as she called to the boys, "Thank you, Mr. Melrose. Come on, fellas, let's get something to eat. We'll be back in an hour or so. Will that give you enough time?"

"More than enough. Thank you for understanding," Billy smiled. He watched as Dotty and the boys left Amanda's hospital room. "How are you feeling, Amanda?"

"I'm doing okay. The pain meds they've changed me to seem to help a little more. No headache now," Amanda explained. "I got to see Lee this morning for a few minutes," she whispered.

Billy gestured to the end of Amanda's bed, "May I?" Amanda nodded and Billy sat with her. "I talked to the doctor a few minutes ago. He said there hasn't been much change in the last twelve hours. Just a few blips in his heart rate but he said that was too be expected."

"Sir, can I ask you a question?" Amanda shifted herself a bit higher on the bed.

"Of course, Amanda. Ask away," Billy stated.

"Sir, how did Alan get out of prison? I mean, I thought he was in a maximum-security facility with no chance of parole," Amanda asked.

Billy exhaled, "Well, did Lee mention anything about the escaped inmates he and Francine were looking for?" Amanda nodded; her eyes wide. "From what we have now pieced together, Squires was on the transport that crashed. He wasn't injured that we can determine and instead of running initially, he swapped clothes with one of the guards, as well as, all the paperwork and took off."

"But how did he find me? I mean, how did he manage to get a car to find me?" Amanda asked.

"Well, it appears he happened upon Dr. Rizzo as he was coming home and the doctor invited him into his home. He probably thought he was an officer out searching for the so-called missing inmate," Billy continued.

Amanda thought back to all the times Alan mentioned Dr. Rizzo and added, "Alan did say something about sharing a cup of tea and that Dr. Rizzo shared his car and some supplies with him, and the cabin. He said Dr. Rizzo wouldn't be needing it anymore."

Billy pursed his lips before saying, "So, he confirmed he was there to you. That's good, Amanda. Did he say anything else?"

"Well, he did say something about an accident and Dr. Rizzo died," Amanda added.

"Hitting a man in the head with a frying pan is no accident. From what Lee found, Dr. Rizzo was cracked in the skull by a frying pan before he hit the corner of the counter," Billy stated.

"No, Sir, that's definitely not an accident," Amanda agreed. "But how did he find me? I still don't understand."

Billy shook his head, "I don't know. Best guess, after he stole Dr. Rizzo's car, he spotted you somewhere, followed you. He had a general idea of where you lived, your new house isn't much further away. You wouldn't have recognized the car and you had no reason to believe you were being followed at any time."

Amanda looked down at the white blanket on the bed before she said, "Alan said he was going to take me to the Dominican Republic. We were heading out to the car when I spotted Lee."

Billy reached out and touched Amanda's leg as he gently pushed, "Amanda, I wouldn't ask but, can you tell me exactly what happened when Lee entered the cabin?"

Amanda bent her legs, grunted at the pain but slung her arms around her knees and she held them protectively. "Well, like I told Francine, it was only a few minutes. Alan was holding me…" Amanda stopped as she flashed back and remembered Alan pressing her against the door as he tried to kiss her. She cleared her throat then continued, "He, um, he held me tightly and had the gun pointed at Lee. They talked for a few minutes, Lee demanded he drop his weapon and Alan refused. Then I stomped on his foot, swung my hands up and hit Alan in the head with the handcuff he left on my wrist. Then I tried to run and I'm not sure if I tripped or if I fell, but I heard the gunshot and felt something hot on my side before I hit the floor."

"How many gunshots did you hear, Amanda?" Billy prodded.

"Only one, Sir. I only heard one shot. But I don't remember too much more after that. Lee was on the ground in front of me, so I crawled over to him. That's it," Amanda stated with a deep breath.

Billy reached out and touched her hand, "You did good, Amanda. I've only seen it once in my career where two men fire at exactly the same time. From what the doctor has told me, it looks like it was the same bullet that injured you that ended up in Lee."

"Kind of like the old saying, two birds with one stone," Amanda grimaced.

"The only difference is you and Lee are still here, but Alan Squires is now only a footnote in a file," Billy assured her.


	10. Chapter 10

After Billy left, Dotty and the boys returned where they spent most of the afternoon telling Amanda stories of their day and what she had missed while she was away. She found she grew more and more tired as the minutes ticked by until finally Francine appeared and suggested Amanda needed some rest. Dotty promised she would return the next day after her hair appointment. Amanda fell asleep only minutes later and woke late that night. She found Francine sitting across the room playing solitaire.

"You're awake. I thought you were going to sleep until tomorrow," Francine said softly.

Amanda blinked several times in the dim light, "What time is it?"

Francine glanced at her watch and announced, "It's just after eleven."

"Eleven? My gosh," Amanda exclaimed. She turned to get out of the bed, wincing audibly.

"Hey, hey hey, where do you think you're going?" Francine jumped to her feet.

Amanda chuckled, "I'm only going to the bathroom, Francine. Don't worry." She slowly stood and winced again, this time grabbing her side.

Francine crossed the room in three long strides and reached out to help her. "Do you want me to get some meds from the nurse? They've been in a few times to check on you but you were pretty much out cold."

Amanda inhaled sharply as she whispered, "Please don't say that, Francine."

"Say what?" she asked, confused as they shuffled across the room to the small attached bathroom.

"That I was out cold. Lee…his hands... "Amanda took a breath then said, "he's so cold."

"I'm sorry. I haven't spent much time in there yet. The doctors and nurses have been in and out all afternoon running tests, checking his vitals. It's a regular three-ring circus with a revolving door," she tried to joke.

Amanda looked sadly at Francine as she whispered, "I need to see him again. He shouldn't be alone."

"Oh, he's not alone. As a matter of fact, he's down having a CT scan right now. You can just relax," Francine explained.

Amanda stopped and gave Francine a side hug as she said, "Thank you." She disappeared into the small bathroom, reappearing a few minutes later. "Do you think they are still serving dinner? I'm a little hungry."

Francine smiled and announced, "I've got you covered. I picked up a couple of sandwiches earlier in case you weren't a fan of the evening entree. Does chicken salad on wheat sound appetizing?"

Amanda carefully sat back on the bed and sighed, "Sounds delicious."

The next morning Amanda woke feeling slightly stiff with pain radiating into her shoulder and back and across her abdomen. "Francine, can you call the nurse, please? I'm not sure if something is wrong but I'm in a lot more pain than I was yesterday," she admitted.

Francine left the room and returned with the nurse in tow. "What's bothering you, Mrs. Stetson?"

"Here," Amanda indicated her stomach with her left hand and added, "my shoulder and back too, a little bit."

"Can you lean forward a little?" the nurse asked as she attempted to assess Amanda's pain.

"Ow!" Amanda exclaimed loudly.

The nurse eased her back down and patted her shoulder, "The pain meds they gave you have worn off completely. Did you take anything last night? I don't see it marked in your chart."

Amanda shook her head and Francine confirmed, "No. Amanda hasn't taken anything since about one o'clock yesterday afternoon. I've been with her the whole time."

"Well, that's going to be a problem. This is one of those things where you have to keep up with the meds in order to stave off the pain, Mrs. Stetson. Let me get it for you. And you'll need to eat something with it as well. I'll have the kitchen send up something immediately. Eggs and toast sound appetizing?" the nurse stated sympathetically.

"Yes, thank you," Amanda replied softly. When the nurse left, Amanda turned back to Francine and said, "I need to see Lee."

"You need to take the medicine and relax first. You're not going to do him any good-" Francine lectured her friend.

"I know, I know, I'm not going to do him any good if I'm a mess," Amanda finished her sentence. "Francine, I want to say thank you. You've gone above and beyond and you really don't have to stay here to hang out with me if you don't want to."

Francine sat on the edge of Amanda's bed and took her hands in hers, "Amanda, you and Lee are like family to me and I wouldn't leave family alone in a time like this, so what makes you think I would leave you, too, huh?"

Amanda smiled weakly as she replied, "Thank you. You're a good friend, Francine. And Billy, too."

"Well, Lee and Billy have been close for a long time now. I know this is hurting Billy to see him like this. He's been up with him all morning," Francine explained.

"Lee's not alone?" Amanda gasped.

"No, Amanda, he's not alone," Francine confirmed.

In Lee's room, Billy was having a one-way conversation. "Well, man, you got yourself into quite the mess this time," Billy uttered softly. "But, don't worry, Amanda is safe. We have her under twenty-four-hour guard. He's stationed right outside her room and Francine has barely left her side unless Mrs. West has been here."

Lee's only reply was the steady beep of his heart monitor and the hissing of the ventilator.

Billy stood and moved to sit on the edge of Lee's bed, careful to avoid the chest tube still dangling from his left side. He placed his hand on Lee's shoulder and assured him, "We're not going to let anything happen to her or your family."

The nurse entered the room, startling Billy. "I'm sorry. I was just checking on Mr. Stetson's EEG for Dr. Daniels. I'll be out of here in just a second." She moved behind Lee's bed to a small machine, tore off a section of the printout and attached it to his file. "If it helps, his brain is active, so that's good news," she informed Billy.

Billy watched as she left the room before turning back to Lee. "Keep fighting, Lee. You can do this. Just like when I first met you, huh. You know, I never told you this, but I didn't like you very much back then. You were cocky and arrogant; thought you were the best thing since sliced bread."

_Billy's words spun Lee back to a time when he first met Billy at the Agency. Paul Barnes had just wrapped up another case in the Oz Network and Lee had returned from his six-month stint in England working with Emily Farnsworth and MI5 after Dorothy's death. Lee had grown a lot as an agent since he was sent to London, however, it did little to adjust his attitude._

" _Scarecrow, this is your new Section Chief, William Melrose," Paul introduced them._

" _What do you mean new Section Chief? What happened to Ferguson?" Lee snapped._

_Billy pursed his lips together, uncomfortable with Lee's reaction. "Ferguson had a heart attack, so, they moved me over here from the Virginia office," he stated._

" _Fine. I've got work to do. I can't stand around all day chit-chatting like a couple of hens. Paul, did you get my report on the possible security leak in Istanbul?" Lee turned away from Billy._

" _I did but I'm not the one you report to now. That's Mr. Melrose," Paul nodded in Billy's direction._

_Lee rolled his eyes as he turned to face Billy and repeated, "Okay, did YOU get my report on the possible security leak in Istanbul?"_

" _I did and I found it incomplete," Billy stated._

_The muscle in Lee's cheek twitched as he clenched his jaw, "What do you mean it's incomplete? It's all there."_

_Billy shook his head, "No, I beg to differ with you. It's missing a few vital pieces of information, like how your source got you the information, when this so-called leak began and even better, who might be responsible. I'd like a corrected report on my desk by the end of the day."_

" _The end of the day? I can't do that. I have…" Lee's voice faded._

" _You have what?" Billy demanded._

_Lee looked at Billy then at Paul before looking at the floor, "I have a date tonight I have to get ready for."_

" _A date? Are you kidding me?" Billy bellowed. "I want a completed report on my desk by five o'clock."_

_Lee gritted his teeth before he groaned, "I don't believe this." He flashed his eyes angrily in Paul's direction before he stormed away to his desk._

"But I'm going to be honest, Scarecrow, you grew on me. Now, you're one of my best friends and there's no one I trust more," Billy stated softly. "Keep fighting, Lee. Your family needs you. We all need you."


	11. Chapter 11

"How's he doing?" Francine asked from the doorway.

Billy looked up from his vigil over Lee's unconscious body. "All right, I guess. No one really tells you much. They just come in, check this machine, check that machine, then they leave again." Billy waved his hand at the different pieces of medical equipment in the room.

"You want a break for a while? Amanda's mother just got here and well, she doesn't need me hanging around listening to every word. When I left, she was telling Amanda all about the new hairdresser at the salon. Borrr-ring," Francine groaned.

Billy gave her a strained smile, "Well, it's pretty quiet in here if you tune out the beeps and the machines. I even started talking to Lee…" Billy chuckled nervously before adding, "not that I expect him to answer."

Francine touched Billy's shoulder to comfort him, "Hey, who knows, maybe he can still hear us, you know."

Billy covered Francine's hand with his as he nodded, "We can only hope. But I'll take you up on that offer. I'll head down and get some coffee and some for the other agents. You want one?"

"No but thanks Billy. I made Amanda eat something this morning and the nurse brought in some extra coffee and a Danish for me. You know, the food wasn't all that bad. Remind me of that if I ever wind up here as a patient," Francine laughed.

Billy stood and made his way to the door. "Keep talking to him, Francine. After all, you might just be right and if he can hear us, then he knows we're here. He's going to need that."

"Will do," Francine nodded as she took the seat Billy just vacated. She heard the door close and she looked around, cleared her throat and said, "Well isn't this comfy, Lee. You all laid up in bed like that. Reminds me of old times." She looked around the room and exhaled loudly, "Well, it certainly isn't the Ritz Carlton." She shifted on the seat before she stood and sat on the edge of Lee's bed. She took his hand in hers and immediately noticed his hands were cold. "Just like Amanda said," she commented, unaware his heart rate sped up slightly when she touched him.

Francine simply held his hand and watched as his chest rose and fell to the rhythmic pattern the ventilator set for him. She grimaced at the small tube that snaked under the sheet barely covering him. "You finally got yourself in a real pickle now, haven't you, Scarecrow?" she asked softly. She looked up at the ceiling and fought back her tears as she whispered, "Dammit, I hate this! I should have been there for you, backing you up instead of letting you drop me off. You never would have let me go alone... I'm so sorry, Lee."

After several long, stilted breaths Francine finally admonished herself. "Get it together, Desmond. You can't fall apart now. Not when they need you the most."

She squeezed Lee's hand gently and began talking to him. "Do you remember when we first met? Boy, I was such a wreck. It was just after Jonathan and I broke up and I was hell bent on proving what a good agent I was."

" _Scarecrow, I want you to meet Francine Desmond. She's just been transferred in from our Louisiana office," Billy gestured toward the well-dressed blonde woman standing in his office._

_Lee sized her up in one glance, shrugged his shoulders and spat, "Yeah, so?"_

_Billy rolled his eyes and continued, "You will be working with her to help get her settled."_

_Lee shook his head, "No, no, no, I don't work with female agents, Billy, you know that. Besides that, I'm not a babysitter."_

_Francine's eyes widened as she retorted, "Excuse me? I'll have you know; I was THE top female agent in my department and I-"_

" _Was probably the only female agent. Listen, I have a pile of work on my desk, so, if you don't mind, I'm gonna get back to-" Lee groaned._

_Billy leaned onto his hands on his desk and spoke in a loud but low tone, "I don't care what you THINK you have to do, Scarecrow, I'm telling you what you're going to do." Lee straightened his spine and twisted his neck to the side as he clenched his jaw. Before Billy could continue, the phone beside him jangled loudly. "Melrose. What? Where? All right, keep an eye on him and I'll send someone to collect him." Billy jotted down an address on a small piece of paper before hanging up the phone. "Well, it looks like I actually have an assignment for you. Your buddy, Werner is back in town."_

" _Where do you need me to go?" Lee shook his shoulders loose and extended his hand, reaching for the address._

" _Not just you, Scarecrow. Take Desmond with you. Get her feet wet in how we do things around here," Billy stated firmly._

" _But Billy-" Lee groaned again but Billy's firm look sobered him right up. Lee glanced over at Francine and mumbled, "Come on."_

_Francine pursed her lips tightly before she nodded and said, "Thank you, sir." She followed Lee through the bullpen and up the elevator to his car. "We're going in this? You've got to be kidding me," she stated when she got a look at Lee's Porsche._

" _What do you mean, this? This car happens to be a classic 1963 Porsche 9-350. Now, get in!" Lee snapped. Francine inhaled sharply then climbed into the car beside him. Several minutes later they pulled up to a seedy-looking bar on the outskirts of DC. "Stay in the car," Lee ordered._

" _I will not!" Francine snapped back as she scrambled out to follow him inside the dimly lit, smoke-filled bar._

_Lee didn't immediately approach his subject who was deep in conversation with a scantily-clad woman at the end of the bar. Instead, he moved to the far corner where another man sat alone. "Thanks, Mike, I'll take it from here," Lee stated softly. The man got up, threw a few bills on the table before he left, leaving Lee and Francine standing together._

" _What a charming little place. You come here often?" Francine groaned._

" _No, but when a German nationalist materializes here, I'm going to be right beside him. I told you to-" Lee began to lecture her when another man approached his subject. Francine watched the men have a short exchange before Lee craned his neck to follow the second man. "You stay with Werner, I'm going to follow that guy," he pointed._

_Francine looked around as Lee left the bar and decided to make a bold move. She fluffed her hair and moved closer to the bar where Werner was sitting. The bartender looked in her direction and she tilted her head and asked, "What's good here?"_

_She heard Werner laugh loudly, "Nothing, except the whiskey. How about one on me, pretty lady?"_

_Francine moved closer and nodded, "Sounds interesting. No ice." The bartender handed her a spotted glass partially filled with the fragrant brown liquid. She quickly drank it down and commented, "Not bad. How 'bout another?" The bartender quickly filled her glass again._

_Werner watched and swallowed hard when Francine tipped back the glass once more. He pushed the scantily-clad woman away from him and moved over two stools to get closer to Francine. "One more, for a toast," he gestured at the bartender._

" _You only got one more in you?" Francine challenged._

" _Make it a double, for both of us," Werner added. He held his glass high, raised an eyebrow and toasted, "To first impressions… and boy, I'm impressed."_

_Francine moved closer to Werner before tipping back her glass once more, "So, do you say that to all the girls?"_

_Lee returned to the bar after losing his subject and noticed Francine drinking with Werner. He pursed his lips tightly but soon his jaw dropped when Werner tried to kiss Francine._

"Werner never knew what hit him. I told you I could always hold my liquor better than anyone," Francine laughed. Lee's heart rate continued to blip at a slightly higher rate than it had been and unnoticed by Francine, his EEG sheet was filled with large spiked lines of activity.

"Francine," Billy's voice called from the doorway. She turned her head to see him standing there, his hands pressed in his pockets. "I just got off the phone with Colonel Clayton. He's currently stationed in Okinawa and they are having some of the worst rainstorms in recorded history. He's going to do his best to fly out but right now, everything is grounded. I told him we would give him a report every few hours, more often if there's any change."

Francine glanced at Lee then back at Billy, "You know, Lee would be so mad if he knew you called his uncle."

Behind her, Lee's heart rate monitor suddenly blared to life as his heart rate shot up. The nurse scrambled into the room and immediately began checking his IV lines, his chest leads and the settings on the machines. "Okay, Big Fella, calm yourself. It was just the IV bag. I'll get you another one," the nurse stopped and looked at the worried faces of Francine and Billy. "Some patients can be so demanding, you know?" she laughed as she left the room. No one noticed the muscle in Lee's cheek, partially hidden by the tape from the ventilator, twitching wildly.


	12. Chapter 12

"Knock, knock," Amanda heard a familiar voice at the door of her hospital room. She looked up to see Joe King standing at the door asking, "Can I come in?"

"Joe? What are you doing here?" she asked, confused.

Joe stepped into the room and stood nervously near the end of her hospital bed. "I, um, I picked the boys up after school and brought them here like Dotty asked me to. I bumped into her in the hall. I asked her if I could have a few minutes with you before they start telling you about their day. They seem to be much better today than they were the other day," he rambled.

Amanda gave Joe a weak smile, "Thanks, Joe, for being here, again. Since you've come back from Estoccia it's been wonderful for the boys."

Joe shifted his weight nervously as he put his hand up, "Amanda, I didn't come in here to talk about my relationship with the boys. I, um..." Joe paused, shoved his hands into his pockets then continued, "I think you should quit working for the Agency. I mean, what the hell happened? First, I find out from the boys that you got called away unexpectedly again for work and then I get this frantic call from Dotty telling me you're in the hospital. Then I find out you've been shot, Lee's on death's doorstep-"

"No, he's not!" Amanda snapped uncharacteristically.

"Okay, he's in a coma and from what Dotty said, things aren't looking good. But face the facts, Amanda, you could have been killed, he could have been killed. Then what?" Joe demanded.

"Joe, this is not the time, nor the place for us to be having this discussion. If you are going to continue to be negative, then you can just leave now. And not for anything, you are NOT the one I should be talking to about this anyway. You have no say in my life anymore. That ended the day we signed the divorce papers and you left," Amanda's voice rose slightly as she tried to hold back her anger.

"But, Amanda, I only want what's best for you and the boys and do you really think this is it?" Joe questioned as he gestured at the room. "You, lying here in a hospital bed after getting shot isn't really-"

"Isn't what, Joe?" Amanda snapped again. "Ooohhhh, you are so infuriating sometimes!" She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration as she exhaled.

Joe stepped closer and sat on the edge of her bed. He tried to take her hand in his as he softened his tone and said, "I just don't want to see anything bad happen to you. I do still care about you, you know."

Amanda pulled her hand back and whispered, "I know you do, Joe, but go home to your wife. I'm not that woman anymore. And you're not my husband. He's upstairs, in a coma right now and I need to be with him. Now, I thank you for bringing the boys by and I know Mother thanks you for helping out but I'd like to spend a few minutes with them, hearing about their day before I go back up to sit with Lee."

Joe stood but stopped beside the bed. "Would you at least consider taking a different position? Something less dangerous…" he tried once more.

"Goodbye, Joe," Amanda stated, effectively cutting him off.

He backed toward the door before turning and adding, "Goodbye, Amanda. I hope for your sake, for the boys' sake, that Lee pulls through this. I really do."

Amanda didn't reply, she simply looked down at the small bedside table before her. She heard the door open softly then looked up when she heard Jamie's excited voice in the hall. "Hey, Mom, I have to tell you what happened at school today," he declared as he rushed into the room.

Amanda quickly plastered a smile on her face and said, "Hello, sweetheart. Come give me a kiss first."

Jamie quickly obliged, Philip and Dotty following him into the room. Amanda glanced up at her mother and Dotty could tell by the look on Amanda's face she was unhappy. Amanda mouthed the word, "Later," to her to which Dotty simply nodded once in return.

Jamie excitedly told Amanda all about his day and the project he was selected to work on. Philip groaned loudly when Jamie announced he was even going to get extra credit, although, he didn't really need it. "Can we talk about something other than your geek report?" Philip asked with a roll of his eyes.

"It's not a geek report!" Jamie insisted.

"Yeah, it is, Geek!" Philip snapped, giving his brother a small shove.

Jamie stumbled slightly, regained his balance and shoved his brother back as he snapped, "It is not!"

Dotty stepped between them calling out, "Boys! Boys! Enough of that! Do you remember where you are?"

The boys immediately checked themselves and looked at Dotty before they looked at Amanda, "Sorry," they both muttered under their breath.

Jamie shoved his hands in his pockets, an action not unnoticed by Amanda. _Just like his father,_ she thought. "Mom, do you think we could go see Lee? Even for a minute?" her younger son asked.

Amanda sighed, "I know this is hard but really, Jamie, it's for the best right now if you don't. I haven't even seen him today, myself, so I don't really know what's going on with him. I promise you; I'll see if you can see him tomorrow. Give him one more day to get a little stronger, heal a little bit more."

Dotty glanced at her watch as she announced, "We should get going. Philip, you have basketball practice tonight and you still need to eat something and get your homework done. You don't need the coach reminding you about your grades again."

Both boys groaned loudly but it was Jamie who asked, "Can I stay here with Mom? I'll just sit and do my homework until Philip's practice is done. I won't be any trouble, I promise."

Amanda put her hand out for Jamie to get closer to the bed. She took his hand, kissed it lightly before giving it a small squeeze. "Sweetheart, if I thought I could let you stay here that long I would but the police are going to be coming by again and I don't think you should be here for that," Amanda explained, the lie slipping off her tongue with ease.

"I could wait in the hall…" Jamie pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Jamie but I have to say no. I don't know how long they'll be here. Now give me a kiss and I'll see you both, tomorrow. And I promise, I'll talk to the doctor about you two getting up to see Lee for a few minutes," Amanda said.

Philip sat on the edge of her bed and wrapped his arms around his mother. "I miss you, Mom," he whispered softly. "And Lee, too. He's going to miss our game this week and playoffs start next week."

Jamie sat on the other side of the bed and rested his head on Amanda's shoulder, "I miss you, too, Mom. Will you give Lee a hug from us? If you can…"

Amanda kissed each of her boys on the head and assured them, "I will. First chance I get. Now, be good for your grandmother. Help her out, remember to take out the trash. And if it snows…"

"We know, shovel the walkway for her," Jamie rolled his eyes, a half-smile on his face. "We love you, Mom."

"And I love you, too. Now scoot!" she replied. "Thank you, Mother," she added quickly.

"Come on, boys, let's get you home. I love you, too, Darling. Get some rest. And if you do get to see Lee well, give him a hug from me, too," Dotty replied as she waved her arms in the direction of the door, shuffling the boys out.

As soon as everyone left the room, Amanda lifted the call button for the nurse and muttered, "I need to see Lee." She depressed the small red button and waited.


	13. Chapter 13

Amanda held Lee's cold hand, rubbing it gently with her thumb as she continued to talk to him, "Mother said the stairs weren't as slippery as we thought they would be with the snow. And don't you worry, the boys promised to shovel for her. And Jamie told me all about a new project at school he was asked to do. He's so excited. He can't wait to tell you all about it, Sweetheart."

She took a deep breath and fought back her tears once again. She had been sitting there for over an hour, just talking to him, telling him the same stories the boys had relayed to her.

"Philip is a little upset you're not going to make it to his playoff games but I think he understands," she whispered in a husky voice. "The boys really want to see you. They keep asking and I think it might help them. They really do love you, you know."

Lee's heart rate rose once again.

" _Hey, Philip, watch out for the bushes," Lee had called out as Philip charged toward the new hoop at the end of their driveway. Lee had just put the hoop together for the boys. They had only lived in their new house for two weeks when he surprised them with the hoop and a new basketball, much to Amanda's chagrin._

" _I thought we talked about waiting to get them a new basketball hoop," she said, her arms folded across her chest._

_Lee glanced at the hoop then back at Amanda's angry expression, "I know, I know but I just wanted to do something for them, you know. The park is farther away and they can't get there as often as they want, so, when I was driving past the sporting goods store, they were having a sale…"_

" _Of course, they were. Why wouldn't they be?" she snarked._

_Lee placed his hands on her arms softly, leaned forward and kissed her cheek, "I promise, this is the last big thing I buy for a while. I just…I saw it and I couldn't help think it was a good thing for them."_

_Amanda closed her eyes, shook her head and sighed, "It is, but you can't just spend money on them just because. Lee, we talked about keeping everything in budget, especially with this move."_

" _And we will," Lee promised. He looked back over at Philip leaping over the small row of shrubbery at the top of the driveway. "I'm thinking we need to cut those back or move them. What do you think?"_

" _I think you and Mother are going to have an interesting weekend. She has so many ideas about the flower beds and she mentioned moving the bushes as well," Amanda informed him. She leaned forward and gently kissed his lips. "But save some of your energy for us, too."_

_Lee pulled her tighter to him and growled softly in her ear as he informed her, "Don't you worry, Mrs. Stetson, I've always got plenty of energy when it comes to you if you haven't noticed."_

_Amanda sighed happily, "Joe has the boys tonight and Mother is heading out soon for her weekly bridge game. I say we take advantage of every minute we have."_

_Lee grinned, his dimples deep. "Every minute? How about hours, Manda?" he teased._

_Amanda blushed at his suggestive tone as she whispered, "Soon enough, Sweetheart." She looked up to see Philip watching them, his head cocked to the side as if he was trying to figure out what they were talking about. "Go, I think Philip is looking for a basketball buddy. I'll finish making dinner."_

Lee's heart rate slowed back to a normal resting rhythm as Amanda stood and brushed her thumb along his cheekbone. She traced the lines of his forehead with one finger as she leaned her hip on the side of his bed. The nurse returned once again to check his machines. "Mrs. Stetson are you ready to head back to your own room now?" she asked sweetly.

"Not yet," Amanda replied without looking up. She gently tugged up on the sheet to cover Lee's exposed chest. She shivered at the bandage wrapped around his ribs and the heart monitors attached to his smooth skin now mottled purple, green and yellow from the bruising underneath the surface. "Reminds me of our honeymoon," Amanda stated softly. She followed the line of bruising across his chest to his shoulder.

_Lee stared lovingly at Amanda's pale face as she lay in the hospital bed in California._

" _What happened?" Amanda muttered sleepily. She was feeling off, her body numb from all the pain medication they had been running through her veins._

_Lee gazed down at his wife and reassured her, "I'll tell you all about it when you get better."_

_Amanda grimaced in pain, "Did you get the number of that truck?"_

_Lee chuckled, "You bet I did." Amanda strained her head forward and Lee rewarded her efforts with a gentle kiss before she relaxed back against the pillow._

" _No honeymoon tonight, pal," Amanda commented with a half-smile. She couldn't get enough of her husband's loving hazel eyes staring into her dark brown ones._

" _Aw shucks," Lee commented softly. He held back when all he wanted to do was to reach out and take her in his arms to comfort her._

_Sleepily Amanda asked, "If I go to sleep will you sit with me for a bit?" as she closed her eyes._

_Lee leaned close to her lips as he said softly, "I love you, Mrs. Stetson." He gave her another gentle kiss before he leaned back and watched her face relax with sleep._

Amanda leaned close to Lee's forehead as she whispered, "I love you, Mr. Stetson."

The nurse moved behind the bed to the EEG machine and audibly grunted, "Huh."

"What's wrong?" Amanda asked, completely alarmed.

"I'm not sure. Your husband's EEGs are all over the place. I need to show Dr. Daniels this. I'll be back in a few minutes," the nurse stated as she exited the room quickly.

Dr. Daniels returned with her a few minutes later. He nodded at Amanda, still propped up on the edge of Lee's bed as he checked the EEG tape before moving over to the heart monitor printout. "Mrs. Stetson, how long have you been in here?" Dr. Daniels asked.

Amanda shrugged her shoulders and said, "I'm not exactly sure, an hour, two maybe. Why, what's going on?"

Dr. Daniels frowned for a moment, then pulled out the small binder that held Lee's previous reports. He flipped through several pages before he stated, "I need to talk to my colleague, Dr. Nee. He is our Chief of Neurology. I want his opinion before I make any guesses."

"What do you mean, guesses? Dr. Daniels, if something is going on with my husband, I have the right to know," Amanda demanded.

Dr. Daniels looked at the readouts in the binder and pursed his lips. "Mrs. Stetson, I've been doing this a long time, for over twenty years, and I've never seen a response like this. It's as if…" he twisted his mouth to the side as he contemplated his next choice of words.

"It's like what? Doctor, what are you not telling me?" Amanda questioned, her tone firm.

Dr. Daniels blinked several times before he finally stated, "It's like he can hear you. The reactions from his EEG, his heart monitor. When you talk to him, his readings are all over the place. But with the amount of sedation he has in him right now, that shouldn't be possible."


	14. Chapter 14

Amanda fell asleep later that evening and immediately began dreaming of Lee. At first, she was dreaming of different cases they had been on together or different places they'd visited but as the night waned on, her dreams changed.

_Lee appeared, standing before her, wearing his favorite brown leather jacket, a white button-down shirt and a pair of well-fitting blue jeans. He was trying to tell her something but she couldn't hear him. His lips were moving but no sound could be heard._

" _Lee? Lee?" she called out to him from her hospital bed._

_His lips continued to move until his soft words drifted to her ears. "Don't give up, Amanda. Don't give up." When the words finally reached her, his image started to become transparent, disappearing into the wall behind him._

" _Lee? Don't go!" she called to him; the feeling eerily familiar._

_Lee faded away before her eyes and when she finally blinked, she found herself sitting in a chair in a cemetery. She could hear the sounds of a bugle playing Taps in the distance. A tall man, dressed in a military uniform was standing before her, handing her a triangular folded flag. Colonel Clayton sat to her right, stone-faced. Jamie and Philip were on her left crying, Dotty stood behind her, her hands resting on Amanda's shoulders. Billy stood beside Dotty comforting a very distraught Francine. Before them, suspended above a large hole in the ground, was an oak casket draped with a large spray of red roses._

" _No!" Amanda exclaimed as the man handed her the flag. She felt Dotty's hands grip her shoulders. "No! This can't be happening!" she whispered loudly. She tightened her grip on the flag as she closed her eyes and shook her head._

_She opened her eyes to find herself in their home, Lee's clothing laid out on the bed and several half-filled boxes surrounded her. "Mom," she heard Jamie calling from the doorway. "Do you think I could keep one of Lee's jackets? You know, before you donate everything."_

_Amanda put her arms out for her son to come join her. She held him tightly as silent tears slid down her cheeks. "Of course, you can. Pick any one you want," Amanda assured him._

" _I know Philip wants one, too. He likes the leather one… you know, the brown one Lee wore when he took us to the track that day. I was thinking of the black one with the gold on it. I like that one, it's different," Jamie explained sadly._

_Amanda sighed and said softly, "Lee liked that one, too."_

" _Mom, why did that man have to shoot you two? I mean, you didn't do anything to him. Why?" Jamie's voice cracked with emotion._

_Amanda hugged him tighter as she shook her head and said, "I don't know, Sweetheart. But we can't keep dwelling on the past. Lee wouldn't want us to do that. He would want us to move forward."_

" _Are you going to stop working at IFF now that Lee's…." Jamie couldn't even say the words._

_Amanda held him at arm's length as she stated, "No! I can't stop working now. There's so much more work to be done. What would make you ask something like that?"_

_Jamie shrugged his shoulders and began, "Well, Dad said-" He stopped talking immediately when Amanda pursed her lips together and cursed under her breath._

"Amanda, wake up," Francine shook Amanda gently.

"Damn him. Ooohhhh he makes me so mad!" Amanda muttered sleepily.

Francine held back her laughter, unsure who Amanda was mumbling about. "Amanda, Dr. Daniels has called a meeting for this morning. I need you to wake up so we can get you ready."

"Francine?" Amanda opened her eyes, confused.

Francine smiled at her friend and replied, "Who else were you expecting? Marilyn Monroe?"

Amanda brought her hand to her forehead and asked, "What time is it?"

"It's just about seven-thirty. Dr. Daniels has called a meeting at nine to discuss Lee's treatment. He stopped by about ten minutes ago," Francine explained.

Amanda pushed herself up slowly and carefully climbed off the bed. She held her hand up to stop Francine from helping her as she said, "I need to learn to do this for myself, I might as well start now."

"How about I make myself useful and order some breakfast?" Francine chuckled.

"Sounds good to me," Amanda replied before she closed the bathroom door. She reappeared several minutes later and carefully leaned over to lift her purse out of the bedside table. She pulled out a brush and gently pulled it through her hair, in an attempt to make herself presentable.

Francine shook her head, "You look fine, Amanda. A little thin maybe, but other than that…"

"Francine, you don't need to humor me. I look awful," Amanda laughed. She lifted her head when the door opened and the nurse entered carrying a tray with two covered dishes and two mugs of coffee.

"How are you feeling this morning, Mrs. Stetson?" the nurse asked.

Amanda smiled slightly and replied, "I'm not too bad today."

"I'll be back with your pain meds before Dr. Daniels returns," the nurse stated as she left the room. Amanda and Francine ate their breakfast in relative silence, Amanda struggling to process what her dreams meant and Francine unsure what was going through Amanda's mind.

A few minutes before nine, Billy appeared in the doorway, a solemn expression on his face. "Good morning, Amanda. Feeling any better today?" he asked.

"I guess," Amanda shrugged her shoulders. "Sir, I really want you and Francine to be there with me during this meeting with Dr. Daniels," she stated.

Before Billy could reply, Dr. Daniels knocked on the door and stepped into Amanda's hospital room. "Good morning, Mrs. Stetson."

"Good morning, Doctor. Before you say anything else, I just need to say that I would really appreciate it if Mr. Melrose and Miss Desmond could stay and listen to our meeting," Amanda informed him.

Dr. Daniels folded his arms across his chest and contemplated her request. "Well, I guess some of the information I am going to tell you does apply to them as well, and although, it's not normal hospital protocol to include non-family members in meetings such as these, I believe, in the case of your husband I could make an exception," he finally stated.

Amanda exhaled loudly, "Thank you, Doctor. Now, please, what is going on with my husband that you need to have this meeting?"

Dr. Daniels gestured for everyone to sit down. He pulled Lee's chart out from under his arm and began, "I had a meeting with the Chief of Neurology, as well as the Chief of Cardiac Medicine and the Pulmonary Specialist, and we have to say, we've never seen a case quite like this one. You see, your husband has been in a medically induced coma for the last fifty-two hours and during this time we expected him to have minimal brain activity. The anesthesia he's been getting to induce the coma is designed to keep the patient in a deep state of unconsciousness allowing the brain to rest and, in turn, decrease any swelling due to injury of any kind. On top of that, he's been on a steady drip of Dilaudid, a highly potent pain killer."

Amanda blinked several times, trying to process all the medical terminology. "So, what does all that mean, Doctor?" she asked.

"It means that your husband should have minimal activity going on in his brain. But that is the exact opposite of what we are seeing, especially when he is responding to outside stimuli. In other words, you, specifically," Dr. Daniels stated.

Billy narrowed his eyes and asked, "You mean, Lee's brain is responding when Amanda is in the room with him? How is that possible?"

"Well, studies have been done to show that coma patients do still hear, but I've never seen a case like this before, ever, in my career. Not only is his brain responding, his heart is, as well. And from the timestamps on the readings, whenever one of you three are with him, he responds," Dr. Daniels explained.

Francine stood slowly and began to pace, "So you mean, Lee can hear us? And somehow, he's trying to…communicate with us through his heart rate and brain…whatever you called them?"

"Yes and no. From the information I am looking at, he can definitely hear you, so when you are with him, keep talking to him. Now, communicate might not be exactly what he's trying to do but he's definitely reacting to whatever it is you are telling him," Dr. Daniels finished.

Amanda blinked several more times as she said, "So, you're saying Lee can hear us? Everything we say?"

Dr. Daniels nodded, "From what the data is telling me, yes. Now, we are going to start changing his protocol. We will be removing the chest tube this afternoon. We will be monitoring how he responds and by tomorrow, if he doesn't appear to have any issues, we want to start backing off the ventilator to see how he breathes on his own. In order to do that, we will be stopping both the anesthesia and the Dilaudid and switching him to a continuous Morphine drip starting at three-point five mg every four hours. That should keep him comfortable but still allow him to react to any kind of stimuli we introduce."

Amanda gasped when she realized he was telling her Lee was getting better. "Doctor, do you think it would be all right for my boys to visit with him for a few minutes? They're fifteen and thirteen and they are pretty close with my husband and they really need to see him."

Dr. Daniels nodded and said, "As long as it's not for more than five minutes at a time. But I would also like to see Lee's reaction to them as well. I'd like to be in the room if that's all right."

"Whatever it takes to get him home, we'll do it," Amanda stated firmly, while the first genuine smile graced her face since this whole, horrible ordeal began. She finally grasped at the one true hope that Lee could survive and he would come back to her.


	15. Chapter 15

Dotty sat at the end of Amanda's bed and asked again, "Amanda, I don't understand. Did Dr. Daniels say Lee was going to be okay or not?"

Amanda pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes as she said, for the third time, "He doesn't really know, Mother, but he said things are happening in his brain that indicate he doesn't have any injuries to his brain."

"And you're sure he said the boys could see him?" Dotty asked again.

"Yes, Mother, Dr. Daniels said it would be okay for the boys to see him but only for a few minutes. He also wants to be there to check his EEG and his heart monitors to see if there are any changes during the visit," Amanda explained once more.

"What about his medications? You said they are changing his medications? Why would they do that if whatever they are giving him now is working?" Dotty questioned.

Amanda sighed loudly before she stated, "They are no longer going to be giving him the medicine that forces him into the coma. And they are changing his pain medication."

Dotty studied Amanda's face for a moment then rambled, "This is just like that soap opera, Eternal Flames. Fletcher Ryan was in that coma and Leslie Saint Claire wouldn't leave his side. The doctors changed his medication and magically he came out of it just a few hours later. You don't think…you don't think Lee will come out of it tonight, do you? Oh, how wonderful would that be! Jamie wouldn't be so upset every time he walks by your room and Philip will stop sitting in Lee's chair. You know, Amanda, I didn't realize before this how close they've become with him, but now…I think it shows how much they care about him."

Amanda fought back her laughter, instead, a smile cracked her face as she said, "No, Mother, I don't think Lee will come out of this that easy. I do think it's going to take time, but after everything the doctor said today, I think he's in a better position than we all thought. And, I think once the boys see him, they'll understand a bit more about how badly hurt he really is. But I also think it will make them feel a little bit better, too. All we can do is hope."

Dotty checked her watch and jumped up, "Well then, I should go get them from school now, so we can get back sooner, rather than later. Have you seen Lee yet today?"

"Mr. Melrose is with him now. I'm going up to see him right after you leave so when you come back with the boys, just bring them right up there," Amanda explained.

Dotty stopped, kissed Amanda on the cheek then hurried to the door, "I love you, Darling. I'll be back in a little bit."

Amanda exhaled as Dotty finally left the room then picked at the remaining bits of her lunch. She was just pushing the tray away when Francine knocked on the door. "You ready?" she asked with a smile.

"How did he look?" Amanda asked.

"Look? About the same, I guess, but it's all relative now, isn't it?" Francine suggested. She watched as Amanda carefully got out of bed, straightened her pink robe and slowly sat in the wheelchair. Francine guided the chair out of the room to the elevator. The agent outside of Amanda's door simply nodded as they passed him.

Outside of Lee's room, Billy was waiting for them. "Dr. Daniels went in about twenty minutes ago. He said he's removing the chest tube now and Lee should be set for you in just a few minutes. How are you feeling, Amanda?"

"Better, I guess, sir. The new pain meds they are giving me help without making me feel all loopy, you know what I mean?" Amanda stated softly.

"I do. I've been there a few times myself. Just be thankful they were able to figure out which one works best for you," Billy assured her.

Dr. Daniels opened the door and stepped into the hall, followed by two nurses. "Dr. Xiu is just finishing up with your husband," he informed Amanda. "He looks good. His stats are good. So, I would like to observe him with visitors. I originally thought I wanted to be in the room but I feel it might be best to watch from the video feed at the nurse's station. Now I can only see you, I can't hear what's going on. I can watch his heart monitor from the desk, too. After about ten, maybe fifteen minutes I'd like to check his EEG. If he really can hear you, I'd like to document all of his reactions, and if you don't mind, I'd like to use the information to submit a study to one of our research journals."

Amanda reached up and took Dr. Daniels hand in hers as she assured him, "If it will help other families have hope, then just tell me what you want us to do."

"Thank you, Mrs. Stetson. I just want you to be natural with him. Keep doing what you've been doing," Dr. Daniels thanked her. The door opened once more and a small man stepped out and nodded at Dr. Daniels. "Thank you, Dr. Xiu. Looks like he's all ready for you, Mrs. Stetson."

Francine wheeled Amanda into the room and stopped her beside the bed. Amanda slowly pushed herself to a standing position before sitting beside Lee. She lifted his still-cold hand in hers and said softly, "Hello, Sweetheart." Francine simply nodded at Amanda before she left the room, leaving them alone. For a minute, the only sound in the room was the rhythmic whooshing and hissing of the ventilator as Amanda simply held his hand in hers. She reached out and touched his forehead with the backs of her fingers and whispered, "The doctor said you can hear everything we say, so I'm going to start by telling you, I love you."

Lee's heart rate ticked up several beats, unnoticed by Amanda, but carefully noted by Dr. Daniels.

"The boys are going to come see you this afternoon," Amanda informed Lee. "Jamie is going to be so happy. He's been asking every day. I think he misses you. And Mother says Philip keeps sitting in your chair at home. I bet he misses you, too."

Again, his heart rate sped up at the mention of the boys.

"I was thinking, once we get you home, maybe we need to have a sit down with the boys. Talk about everything that's happened," Amanda stated softly as she continued to brush away the hair falling on his forehead. "I think they need to understand more about what we do and the types of people we work with. I think…maybe…we need to tell them the truth or more of it. I don't know how, but I think we need to make a decision for our future. I don't know if I could do this again, Sweetheart."

Amanda paused after her admission but continued to touch Lee. She smoothed the wrinkles in the sheet with one hand as she held his other hand gently. She jumped when she heard a soft knock on the door and Dr. Daniels entered the room holding his finger to his lips to indicate he didn't want her to announce his presence. He moved behind the bed, checked the EEG tape before nodding at Amanda and stepping out of the room again.

"Dr. Daniels is very nice. He's working on changing your medicine. I know how much you hate pills and doctors, but he's a very good doctor. He's the one that said the boys could visit with you and he's checking on you constantly. I'm beginning to wonder if the man ever sleeps," Amanda chuckled.

Amanda continued to talk about the food at the hospital and about Francine and Billy and everything they were doing to help her. She shifted herself twice on the edge of the bed when she became uncomfortable sitting in the same position for too long. The second time, Francine opened the door to check on her but Amanda insisted she was fine. Ten minutes later she heard a knock on the door and Billy stepped inside announcing, "Your mother and the boys are here."

Amanda carefully positioned herself in the wheelchair and allowed Billy to take her into the hallway as Dr. Daniels stepped back into Lee's room.

"Hello, fellas. How was your day?" Amanda asked cheerfully. She had to admit to herself it was the first time in nearly a week she felt cheerful.

Philip answered first, "My day was okay. I was so glad Grandma pulled me out of Math class. Mr. Malo was just rambling on and on about multiplying fractions and how fun it was."

Amanda raised her eyebrow in her mother's direction. "I couldn't wait any longer. And it was only an hour they missed. I thought this was much more important," Dotty dismissed her daughter's disapproving glare.

"Yeah, Mom. I was thinking about Lee all day and couldn't concentrate on French anyway," Jamie admitted.

Amanda sighed, "All right. I guess it's okay, just this once, under the circumstances. Now, I'm going to explain a few things first before you go in to see Lee. He has a lot of tubes and wires on him but it's all to keep tabs on everything going on with him. It's going to be a little scary but the important thing to remember is Lee can hear you. As a matter of fact, our doctor, Dr. Daniels, is running a test right now. That's the man that's in Lee's room right now."

"What kind of test?" Jamie asked curiously.

"Well, he's checking different reports that are getting printed to see how much Lee reacts to things we tell him. So, I want you boys to talk to him just like you would if he was awake, understand?" Amanda explained.

"Philip can go first," Jamie interjected.

"Why me?" Philip accused.

Jamie smiled and nodded his head as he stated, "Because you are the older brother and you do _everything_ first."


	16. Chapter 16

Philip pushed the door open slowly and held it as Francine wheeled Amanda into Lee's room once more. "Over there, please," Amanda pointed to the corner of the room away from the bed.

Francine touched Philip's shoulder and nodded as she stepped into the hallway. Philip let the door close then took a deep breath as he got closer to the bed. He glanced over at Amanda who gestured with her hand and said softly, "Go on."

"Hey…Lee…" Philip's voice cracked as he started to talk to him. He cleared his throat and shook his head nervously.

"Just talk to him," Amanda encouraged.

Philip took another breath and said, "I, um, had practice yesterday and Coach says I have a real shot at making starter for next week's playoffs. He, um, he said my jump shot is pretty good and if I keep my elbow straight, I'll hit every shot. Just like you said."

" _Philip, keep that elbow straight. You'll hit it," Lee called out as Philip practiced in the driveway._

" _I don't know, Lee, I keep trying but I don't know what I'm doing wrong," Philip groaned._

_Lee took the ball and demonstrated, "Here, when you hit this point on your shot, keep your elbow straight, flip your wrist just a bit and you'll hit it almost every time."_

" _Easy for you to say, you already know how to do it," Philip snapped, frustrated._

_Lee put his hands on the ball and looked directly at Philip, "Hey, don't lose it now. I wasn't always good at it. It took a lot of practice and hard work to get it right. But once you get it, you'll remember, and it will be easier."_

_Philip rolled his eyes at Lee, "I know, I know. I just can't get it!"_

_Lee stepped to the side and said, "Try this for me. Plant your feet, close your eyes and picture the ball going in the hoop. Then, let it go."_

" _Close my eyes? What are you talking about?" Philip groaned._

" _Just try it. What's the worst thing that's going to happen? You miss? No harm done," Lee encouraged his stepson._

" _Fine," Philip groaned. He did as he was asked, planted his feet, closed his eyes and let the ball go. He opened his eyes just as the ball fell through the hoop. "Did you see that?" he exclaimed loudly. "It went in, just like you said!" He threw his arms around Lee in a big hug before running off to collect the ball to try again._

" _That's right. Just visualize, aim, elbow straight and you're golden," Lee smiled._

"And Coach said because I got a B on my math exam, I don't have to worry about being on academic suspension," Philip relaxed as he kept talking. He heard Amanda clear her throat at his admission and tensed up slightly. "Well, um, Lee, I, uh, I better let Jamie have a few minutes before he loses his mind out there. He's…well…we both…well, you know…we miss you at home and we hope you get better soon. It's not the same without you there." He reached out and touched Lee's hand and uttered, "His hands are cold."

"I know, Sweetheart. Could you tell your brother to come in?" Amanda asked softly.

Philip slowly let go of Lee's hand and walked to the door. He took a deep breath, wiped his eyes then opened the door and called, "Hey, Geek, it's your turn."

Amanda clenched her teeth and whispered loudly, "Don't call your brother a Geek." She watched as Jamie entered the room and stopped in the doorway.

"Mom, I don't know if I can do this," Jamie admitted quietly.

"It's okay. I'm right here if you need me. Just tell him about the project at school, just like you would if we were sitting at home, having dinner," Amanda assured him.

Jamie took one look at Lee on the bed and shook his head, "But we're not at home. We're not having dinner!"

Amanda pushed herself out of the wheelchair with a grunt and crossed the room. She put her arms around Jamie and held him as the tears began to fall. "I know it's hard to see him like this but you need to talk to him. Let him know you're here and that you're thinking about him. Dr. Daniels said he can hear everything we say to him."

"Like, he can hear us right now?" Jamie asked, his head buried in her shoulder.

"I think so," Amanda assured him. Jamie leaned back, took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. "Go on," Amanda encouraged.

Jamie moved closer to the bed; his eyes wide. He glanced at Amanda, still standing near the doorway. "Lee? It's Jamie. Mom says you can hear me so I'm gonna tell you about the project at school I got picked for," Jamie began. He shifted awkwardly as he waited for some kind of response but when he didn't hear anything, he looked at Amanda again and lifted his shoulders.

Amanda looked up at Lee's heart monitor and watched as his heart rate increased by several beats per minute. She pointed up at the monitor and said, "I think Lee's waiting for you to tell him all about it."

Jamie noticed the monitor and kept his eyes on it as he began to tell him all about the photography project.

" _Can we learn how to develop film, too?" Jamie asked Lee as they walked through the Botanical Gardens taking pictures._

" _I've only done it once myself so I'd have to ask-" Lee began but Jamie's excited questions cut him off._

" _What about the difference between black and white and color pictures? I mean does it matter the kind of film you use or what? And what about action shots? I mean, I know you said that high-speed film was better but what if we used regular film and messed around with the settings on the camera? Oh, and you know those pictures we took of Mom last week when she didn't know we were taking pictures? I think we should frame the one of her laughing. That's my favorite one because she didn't even know and she looks great in that one," Jamie rambled._

_Lee laughed loudly, drawing the attention of several patrons around them. "You know, you sound just like your mother when she gets excited. Come on, let's go take a look over here. I think I read there was a butterfly garden exhibit. Now, that would be a great place to try to take a few pictures." Lee placed his hand on Jamie's shoulder to guide him to the left to a small set of stairs. When they were about halfway down, Lee could hear the wheels of a skateboard heading in their direction. "Jamie, watch out!" Lee called and pulled him out of the way as the skateboarder came flying down the steps, nearly colliding with the two of them._

" _Thanks, Lee! I didn't even see that guy," Jamie exhaled. He checked the camera and nodded, "Good thing the camera didn't get broken. Mom would have been so mad at me."_

_Lee frowned, "Why would she have been mad at you? It wasn't your fault he wasn't paying attention." Lee pointed at the kid on the skateboard rolling through the park, disrupting other patrons._

" _I don't know. Sometimes Mom says things are my fault even though it really isn't. Like when she ran my bike over in the driveway when she had that big old black car. She wrecked the muffler and said it was my fault for leaving my bike there in the first place," Jamie explained._

_Lee chuckled, remembering the exact scenario Jamie was talking about. He put his arm around him and said, "Well, not this time. Now, let's go find some butterflies."_

"So, I guess that's it," Jamie muttered. "But I do get extra credit if I can help find all the different types of buildings he asked us to find." Jamie looked at Amanda, his eyebrows high, waiting for some kind of response.

"You did good, Sweetheart," Amanda assured him.

She put her arms out and waited for Jamie to hug her once more before he left the room. He gave her a squeeze and started toward the door but looked back over his shoulder at Lee. Instead of leaving, he ran back over to Lee and leaned down to give him a hug as he whispered, "Please get better soon. Mom needs you; we all need you. I love you, Lee!"

Alarm bells on the heart monitor immediately went off as Lee's heart rate skyrocketed dangerously high. Jamie jumped back, all the color draining from his face as two nurses and the doctor ran into the room. "I didn't do anything!" he cried. The medical team just ignored him as they moved around Lee checking everything and calling out commands. Amanda moved to Jamie's side and tried to usher him out of the room. "I didn't mean to hurt him; I didn't mean it… I didn't do anything!" Jamie wailed as Amanda closed the door and watched as Dr. Daniels assessed Lee again.

Dr. Daniels tried injecting Lee with one type of drug but after a minute his heart rate was still dangerously high. "Mrs. Stetson, I need you to talk to him. Calm him down. Please! Do it now!" Dr. Daniels commanded.

Amanda looked completely bewildered but moved to Lee's side gingerly as she started to talk, "Lee, Lee, you need to calm down. Please, just calm down, Sweetheart." She reached out and held his hand, holding it to her face as she continued to soothe him. "Just relax, just calm down. You need to rest, now. I'll be right here the whole time. Jamie and Philip are in the hall now and I'm going to send them home with Mother so you can rest. I love you." She began stroking his forehead again as she had done earlier and his heart rate began decreasing slowly at first, until the alarms stopped and he was settled once again into a resting state. Amanda stared at Dr. Daniels, waiting for some kind of an explanation.

"It's amazing," he stated. "Simply amazing. Medically, there was nothing more we could have done but you…just the sound of your voice…amazing." He checked all of Lee's vitals once again and stated, "He does need to rest now. Too much stimulation at one time isn't good for him."

Amanda kissed Lee's fingers before she slowly released his hand and laid it back on the bed gently. She looked at the wheelchair and asked the nurse, "Could you bring that out? I'd like to walk for a few minutes."

When Amanda opened the door and stepped into the hall she found Jamie on the floor, his head between his knees, hyperventilating. She immediately knelt down in front of him, ignoring the pain in her side to hold her son. "I didn't mean it, Mom. I didn't mean to get him…I don't even know what happened," Jamie cried between sharp breaths.

Before Amanda could speak, she heard Dr. Daniels' voice. "Son, you didn't do anything wrong. You did help us, though."

Jamie lifted his head, still breathing heavily. "I did?" he asked confused.

Dr. Daniels knelt down beside them and put his hand on Jamie's shoulder, "You did. And you did something we've been waiting to see. We know Mr. Stetson can hear and he's been reacting in little ways that we could record with our machines, but you…you got him to show us he can react without talking to us." He waited for Jamie to settle down a bit more then continued. "Your mom, she's an amazing woman because she calmed him down by talking to him and by touching him. She is the best medicine for him. He's resting now, and his heart isn't beating fast anymore. It's like he wanted you to know that whatever you said to him, he heard it. He understood it. And what's more, it must have meant an awful lot to him because he wanted everyone to know."


	17. Chapter 17

After the visit with Lee, Amanda brought the boys back to her room for another hour to allow Jamie to calm down. Once he was in better spirits, Dotty took them home for dinner and to work on their homework as Amanda and Billy sat together.

"Sir, what do you think is going to happen once Lee wakes up?" Amanda asked softly.

"Well, I'm sure he'll have to go for some kind of rehab therapy," Billy stated before chuckling. His chuckling soon became full-on laughter, and Amanda quickly found herself laughing along with him.

"Sir?" Amanda asked between laughs.

Billy finally got himself under control and as he shook his head, he laughed, "I couldn't help picture what the look on his face would be when they tell him."

"Sir!" Amanda admonished him but she had to admit he was right. Lee was going to hate the idea of going to therapy.

Billy sobered up and observed, "The boys really do care about him, don't they?"

Amanda nodded, "I think he's grown on them and they've grown on him. I can't tell you how many times I've found the three of them together now. It's funny because it wasn't all that long ago that Jamie wouldn't even be in the same room as Lee and now, he goes running down the stairs as soon as he hears Lee's car in the driveway. Lee barely makes it into the house before he's telling him all about something new that he has learned."

Billy smiled, "Never in my wildest dreams did I picture Lee as the family type but then you came along. I'm really glad I thought of keeping you two together." Billy checked his watch, "I should go back up and see if Walter's relief has shown up."

"Sir, how much longer do you think we'll be under Agency guard?" Amanda asked softly.

"It's standard procedure, Amanda," Billy informed her.

Amanda sighed, "I know, I just feel bad about pulling everyone away from their own families."

Billy stood, patted her arm and said, "I know you do but I think these guys would rather be safe in here than out on the streets. They've actually all volunteered, they weren't assigned."

"Oh," Amanda gasped. "Sir, could you make sure I get a list of everyone so I can do something nice for them when this is all over?"

Billy smiled, "Of course, Amanda." They heard a knock on the door just before Francine stepped inside. "I'll get that list to you as soon as I can," he assured her before he left the room.

"Well, what were you and Billy chatting about?" Francine asked with a smile.

"Not much, really. How about a game of hearts?" Amanda suggested, returning Francine's smile. An hour later, they were startled when the phone rang beside Amanda's bed. She lifted the handset tentatively, "Hello? Oh, hello, Colonel."

"Amanda?" Colonel Clayton's voice scratched through the line.

"Yes, sir. How are you?" Amanda asked.

Colonel Clayton coughed loudly before he answered, "Well, this damn rain has given me one heck of a cold but it's nothing compared to what you and Skip are going through. How are you feeling?"

Amanda sighed, "I'll be okay. I've already learned what happens when I skip the pain medication, so, I won't do that again any time soon."

"Have they said when you'll be discharged yet?" the Colonel asked.

"No, not yet," Amanda replied.

"How's Skip? And I want an honest answer, not that medical mumbo jumbo I got earlier," Colonel Clayton stated.

Amanda exhaled, "Well, it's hard to say. I mean, our doctor, Dr. Daniels did a kind of experiment this afternoon to try to prove Lee doesn't have any problems with his brain and if I understand it right, he passed that with flying colors."

"Well, that's one good thing I guess," the Colonel replied though the crackling line. "What about the rest of him?"

"They removed his chest tube earlier today and they want to try to change his pain medication tomorrow and take him off the anesthesia that's keeping him sedated," Amanda explained.

Colonel Clayton coughed again, "Skip is strong. And he has you. You won't let him give up; you never have. Amanda, I don't think I've ever told you this, but you are the best thing that has ever happened to Lee. The day he met you…well, I'm not a real believer in all that spiritual stuff…but I would swear his parents were guiding him or something. How else would he have found the perfect woman?"

Amanda blushed, "Colonel…"

"No, no, let me finish. Now maybe I've just been hanging around with too many of the Staff Sergeants and they've been getting into too much of the local Saki but I will say this. You and Skip found each other for a reason. Everything happens for a reason after all, and well, I for one believe that if anyone can put up with the nonsense behavior my nephew displayed for far too long, well, there's a reason for it," Colonel Clayton explained. When Amanda didn't respond he asked, "Amanda? Are you with me?"

Amanda chuckled, "I am, sir. Lee's been good for me too. And my boys. He's put up with a lot from me, too, but he's learned to be patient and loving, not that he wasn't loving before…"

"He was loving all right…to anything in a skirt…only it wasn't the right kind of loving, if you catch my drift," Colonel Clayton stated.

"I understand. I'm sure it's very early where you are, sir, so I promise if there is any change in his condition, I'll let you know as soon as I can, all right?" Amanda stated.

Colonel Clayton coughed once more before he asked, "You promise me you'll do that?"

"I promise. You're his only family," Amanda began.

"No, I'm just his uncle. You're his family, Amanda. You and those boys of yours. Oh, and I can't forget Dotty. She must be beside herself," Colonel Clayton stated firmly.

Amanda sighed, "Mother's holding her own. I'll talk to you soon."

"I'm working on getting the first flight out of here, so hopefully, I can see you before you have a reason to call me," the Colonel informed her.

"Be safe, Colonel. I hope we see you soon, too. Bye now," Amanda replied as she hung up the phone. She turned to Francine and said, "His uncle really cares about him. I just wish he'd tell him face to face."

Francine laughed loudly as she said, "You and I both know that will never happen. Now, let's finish our game."

The next morning, Dr. Daniels stopped in Amanda's room to check on her injuries. "Well, Mrs. Stetson, it looks like we might be able to send you home soon. Your incisions look good, there's no swelling or signs of infection. Your pain management has been handled well. You're not overexerting yourself, which is nice to see under the circumstances."

"Dr. Daniels, I can't leave my husband here, alone," Amanda informed him.

"Your husband is going to be here for a while, Mrs. Stetson. I can't keep you here just because-" he tried to explain.

Amanda held her hand up and asked, "I realize he's going to be here a lot longer than I am, but don't you think the stress of traveling back and forth the next few days is going to be harder on me?"

Dr. Daniels folded his arms and looked at Amanda, "You make a good point, Mrs. Stetson. Tell you what. I'll give you three more days here, but if your husband isn't awake on his own by then, I have to send you home."

Amanda pursed her lips tightly before she said, "That's fair enough. Now, what is the plan for Lee today? I'd like to see him soon."

Dr. Daniels smiled and replied, "We've already started backing off the anesthesia and we've switched his pain meds to the morphine drip. He should be completely off it in the next hour. After that, we wait and see how he responds."

"When can I go up and sit with him?" Amanda asked once more.

"I don't see why you can't go up there after you finish breakfast. And you need to finish breakfast. The nurses have told me you're not eating much," Dr. Daniels stated.

Amanda shook her head, "I don't have much of an appetite right now."

Dr. Daniels pointed at her chart, "I know this hasn't been easy for you. And I'm never sure which is worse, the physical pain of an injury or watching someone you love in worse shape."

"Watching Lee is much worse than this," Amanda indicated to her side.

"But if you don't eat, it isn't going to help either one of you get any better. So, I'm going to change your meal plan. Are there any food allergies I need to know about that aren't indicated in your chart?" Dr. Daniels insisted.

"No, doctor," Amanda resigned.

Francine had remained quiet during the exchange between Amanda and Dr. Daniels but she piped up, "I'll make sure she eats., even if I have to force-feed her myself. Don't make me do it, Amanda."

Amanda looked at Francine who was doing her best to suppress a smile and said, "I wouldn't even dream of it."


	18. Chapter 18

Amanda sat in Lee's room and watched as Dr. Daniels made notes while Dr. Xiu adjusted Lee's ventilator settings. "Thank you, Dr. Xiu," Dr. Daniels nodded as his associate left the room. "Okay, Mrs. Stetson, your husband is in good shape. I'm noting a step-up in his condition to 'Serious but Stable' for today. He's made it past the Critical stage for the moment. Now, we wait and see if he's ready to wake up on his own."

Amanda squeezed Lee's hand gently and smiled, "Thank you, doctor."

"And just like before, I want you to keep talking to him. From what I've seen already, he'll find a way to respond," Dr. Daniels assured her before leaving the room.

Amanda sighed softly and turned her attention back to Lee. "Well, looks like it's just you and me, now. I talked to your uncle last night. He sounds like he has a pretty bad cold but he's worried about you," Amanda began. Amanda noticed as Lee's heart rate jumped several beats per minute at the mention of his uncle.

"Do you remember," Amanda said softly, "the Nerf gun fight you had with the boys a few weeks ago?"

" _Watch out!" Jamie hollered with a laugh as Lee leaned into the doorway, aiming for Philip._

_Lee laughed loudly as he replied, "Hey, I thought you were on my side!"_

_Jamie laughed back, "I am, but he's still my brother."_

" _A double agent, in my own family," Lee sputtered, trying hard to look shocked._

" _Incoming!" Philip yelled as he tossed a handful of balled up socks in Lee's direction as he ran by. He ducked behind Jamie and laughed loudly when he heard Lee gasp._

" _Philip! These are dirty gym socks!" Lee exhaled, tossing the offending smelling socks away from him. Philip simply mimicked his best maniacal laugh in return._

"Mother said she just found a whole bunch of those little darts behind the couch," Amanda continued.

" _I give up, I give up!" Lee held his hands high when he finally ran out of ammunition. Jamie and Philip took one look at each other, then completely unloaded their remaining foam bullets on Lee. Lee took several steps toward them with a playful growl and tackled them both against the couch where he began tickling them._

_Dotty finally broke up their fun when she stood in the doorway, her hands propped on her hips and announced, "This mess better be cleaned up before dinner is ready or else, you're all in the doghouse…that includes you too, Lee!"_

Amanda rubbed Lee's hand between her own as she continued to talk to him, "Billy said almost everyone from the Agency has come down and donated blood to the hospital, too. Dr. Daniels said they now have the largest supply of fresh blood in the area they might be able to help out some other hospitals as well."

Lee's heart rate ticked off at a steady beat.

Amanda looked at the clock and realized she had been sitting with Lee for over an hour without moving. She shifted slightly and found she was straining her side, so, she gently released Lee's hand and pushed herself to a standing position. She took Lee's hand in hers once more and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Oh, Sweetheart, what are we gonna do?" Amanda whispered against his fingers. She brushed her lips across his fingertips and allowed her tears to slowly slide down her cheeks. With an emotion-laden voice, she whispered, "I can't lose you, not now, not ever. I need you to keep fighting. Dr. Daniels said it's all up to you now. There's no more medicine that should be keeping you asleep, so, it's up to you to come back to us."

Dr. Daniels knocked lightly on the door and entered the room. "Mrs. Stetson, your mother has arrived. And from the look on your face, I'd say you need a break for a bit."

"No, I'm fine," Amanda whispered, her eyes never leaving Lee's face.

Dr. Daniels walked closer to Amanda, "As your doctor, I'm telling you, you're not fine. You haven't had anything to drink since you stepped in here. With the meds you're on, you need to keep hydrated. It's also time for you to eat something."

Amanda continued to watch Lee's face as she shook her head, "I'm not very hungry."

"With all due respect, Mrs. Stetson, we talked about this and you said you would do as I asked," Dr. Daniels stated firmly.

Amanda looked away and as she made eye contact with Dr. Daniels, she didn't notice Lee's eyes moving under his closed lids. _She never does as she's asked,_ Lee thought.

"Please, just take a break. Your mother asked to sit with your husband. He won't be alone, not for a second," Dr. Daniels implored.

Amanda kissed Lee's fingers once more before she carefully stood and placed his hand back down. She brushed his hair off his face, leaned forward as far as she could and whispered, "I'll be back soon. Mother's going to come sit with you for a while. I love you, Sweetheart." She turned and faced Dr. Daniels, "Fine, I'll take a break, but I want to be back in here as soon as I can, please."

"I understand," Dr. Daniels stated. He watched as Amanda walked slowly to the door to the awaiting wheelchair in the hall.

"Hello, Mother," Amanda said softly as Dotty gave her a gentle hug.

Dotty smoothed Amanda's hair down and kissed her forehead, "I'll take good care of him while you take a break. Don't you worry. Get some rest."

Amanda reached up and gave Dotty a small hug as she nodded. The nurse wheeled Amanda away without another word.

Dotty walked into Lee's room but stood there completely silent for the next minute or so. As she stood there and stared at him, she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes while she shook her head gently side to side. She finally placed her coat and purse down in one of the two chairs near the door. She then slowly made her way over to Lee's bed. She softly sat down beside him, in the same spot Amanda had just vacated, took his hand in hers and gently squeezed it.

She continued to hold his hand as she took a deep breath, to not only steel herself but to try and gather her thoughts before she spoke. She realized for the first time since everything happened, that she never had a chance to talk to him and truly express her feelings.

Finally, she spoke up, "It's Dotty, Lee, your favorite mother-in-law." A small weak smile flashed across her face as she quickly added, "I know, I'm your only mother-in-law but still." She swept her eyes down his body, from his face to his waist and said, "I'm so sorry that this happened to you and Amanda. Neither of you deserved this. I know you were both trying to do the right thing by stopping to help out a complete stranger. It's just horrible what people do to each other these days." She paused when she heard herself getting angry.

Taking another breath, she continued, "There are so many things I want…so many things that I _need_ you to know. Things I've never told you before and I never thought I would be telling you like this. First things first, I want you to know how happy you have made my daughter. And I know you're probably thinking she's been happy all along but it's not the same. I've never seen her as happy as she is as when she is with you. It was never like that with Joe. I mean, yes, they had moments, like the day the boys were born, but with you, she's happy every day. You have completed her life and she loves you so much. I was thrilled when she finally found you and when you became a part of this family."

Dotty shifted her position slightly but never let go of his hand. She sniffled as tears began to form in her eyes. "With that being said, I want to thank you for always being there for her. Gosh, you've been there for all of us. And the boys…the boys love you so much. I know it was a bit of a rocky start, especially with Jamie, but you have worked so hard to gain their trust and their respect. You have definitely won them over. They have learned so much from you." She leaned close to Lee as she whispered loudly, "Between you and me, you have taught them a lot and they know you won't ever leave them. I think you have been there for them more than Joe has. But remember, mums the word on that." Dotty quietly chuckled at her own admission, completely unaware that the muscle in Lee's cheek had begun twitching.

Dotty gently squeezed his cold hand again and couldn't help as the tears finally began to slide down her cheeks. "Lastly, I just want you to know how much you mean to me. You have been wonderful for all of us. But I need you to know I love you and I've now come to consider you my son. It is an honor to have such a strong, caring, and loving man in our lives. I know you would protect all of us with everything you have without a doubt. You are such a great man. You are so strong in character and I have such respect and trust in you. We all need you to keep fighting and come back to us. We will be here to help you every step of the way. Just promise me, you won't give up." She squeezed his hand again with a little more strength.

Dotty brushed her tears away with her free hand and pleaded softly, "Please wake up soon, we all need your silver lining thinking and your humor. I miss your laughter and your crazy antics with the boys. Even though, you all drive me bananas when you're rushing around the house playing those silly war games you boys play. Not to mention, I think you owe me a beautiful granddaughter." Dotty couldn't help but let out another little chuckle.

Dotty then stood up without releasing his hand and leaned over and placed a loving kiss to his cheek. "I'm going to go now and let you get some rest. Amanda will be back here soon. Just don't forget...please don't give up and keep fighting for us. We all miss you." She stared at him for a few seconds and cried out, "I love you, son!"

Just as Dotty began to lower his hand, she felt the undeniable twitch of his hand. Her eyes widened as she looked at his face and whispered, "Lee?" She dropped his hand gently and rushed out to the hallway yelling for the doctor.


	19. Chapter 19

Amanda sat, holding Dotty's hand as Dr. Daniels spent the last fifteen minutes going over Lee's vitals, his EEG tape and the printout of his heart monitor. He checked Lee's pupillary response, his O2 stats, his ventilator levels and last but not least he took out a reflex hammer and tested Lee's response to various taps along his body. He nodded affirmatively as Lee's fingers twitched reflexively.

"Well, I have good news and bad news, I guess. The good news is he is definitely responding to more stimuli which is a marked improvement even from yesterday. The bad news, unfortunately, is I don't see any real evidence he's actually waking up. His stats are all good but what I think you felt was an involuntary response. A discharge of electrical energy in his body," Dr. Daniels explained.

"But he's getting better, right?" Dotty begged with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, better, but not quite there yet," Dr. Daniels assured her.

Amanda brushed away her tears as she whispered, "He'll get there. Thank you, doctor." She pushed herself into a standing position and crossed the room to where Lee laid still. She took his hand in hers and kissed his fingers as she sat beside him.

"I'll let you have some time together," Dr. Daniels patted Dotty on the shoulder before he left the room.

Dotty stood and hugged Amanda from behind. "I'm sorry, darling. I just thought…." her voice trailed off with a soft sigh.

"It's okay, Mother. We all want him to come out of this, he's just not ready yet. He does things in his own time," Amanda turned her attention to Lee as she added, "Don't you, Sweetheart."

Dotty kissed Amanda's hair, squeezed her again then whispered, "I'm going to go pick up the boys. They'll be getting out of school soon. We'll be back." Amanda reached up and covered Dotty's hand with her own. She tipped her head against Dotty's, silently. Dotty kissed her once more before she slowly released her daughter. She crossed the short distance to the door, turned and looked at Amanda, still holding Lee's hand in hers. She wiped away the solitary tear that ran down her cheek before she left the room leaving Amanda and Lee alone.

The next two days slowly passed by much the same. Amanda spent more time in Lee's room than in her own, only eating or taking breaks when she was forced to. Dr. Daniels assured Amanda multiple times each day, he was stable and time would be his best medicine. He also reminded her he could only hold her at the hospital for one more day before he had to release her. Francine and Billy spent as much time with her and Lee as they could.

Monday morning, Amanda sat beside Lee's bed and continued to rub Lee's fingers along her jawline as she watched him breathe, the ventilator still controlling the rhythm. "Oh, baby," she whispered.

_Lee found himself in a hospital room, holding Amanda's hand tightly as she cried out. "Come on, Amanda, just one more push. You're almost there. You can do this," he encouraged her._

" _I can't do this," Amanda groaned shaking her sweat-soaked head. "I'm so tired, I can't."_

_Lee pushed the wet strands off her face and held her hand tight. "Amanda, you are the strongest woman I know. And I know you can do this," he assured her._

" _Another contraction," the doctor announced._

_Lee kissed her forehead and said, "Let's do this. Let's meet our baby."_

_Amanda held his hand tight, gritted her teeth and pushed, curling her body forward. She began a low, primal growl that increased in both loudness and intensity as the doctor called out, "Just a little more, Amanda. You're almost there."_

_Lee tried to peek over the sheet draped across Amanda's waist and knees but quickly turned back to Amanda when he heard her gasp. She collapsed against the pillows behind her, completely exhausted. Lee's attention was drawn back to the opposite end of the bed as he heard a small mewling sound, similar to that of a kitten. He narrowed his eyes as a smile slowly spread across his face. The sound became louder and transformed into a distinct infant cry as the_ _doctor held up their newborn and announced, "It's a girl."_

_Lee twisted back to Amanda and buried his face in her shoulder as the tears flowed down his face. "It's a girl," he cried gravelly against her skin before lifting his face and kissing her soundly. "It's a girl," he cried once more between kisses._

_Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the nurse take the baby and begin to walk away. "Where's she going with my daughter?" he demanded, immediately becoming completely protective of the_ _small bundle in the nurse's arms._

" _Only to that exam table right there. You can go with her," the doctor assured him._

_Amanda reached up, cradled Lee's face as she whispered, "Go."_

_Lee scrambled to his feet and crossed the room in three long strides. He watched, fascinated as his daughter kicked and cried on the small table. He reached out to touch her small hand which she immediately gripped his finger tightly as she wailed out._

" _You're gonna be a fighter," the nurse joked as she tried to wrap up the small squirming infant. She finally succeeded and handed the small bundle to Lee. "Here you go, Dad."_

_Lee stared down at the little face, no longer screaming. He inhaled sharply when she opened her mouth and yawned. He carried her over to Amanda and smiled as Amanda held out her arms. He lowered the baby into her hands and kissed her forehead as he whispered, "You're amazing."_

_Amanda cradled their daughter in her arms and looked up at Lee. "She's all yours, Daddy. Little Miss Dorothea Jennifer Stetson." The baby began to whimper as Amanda said her_ _full name, drawing a laugh from everyone in the room._

" _Don't worry, DJ, you're not in trouble… yet," Lee assured his daughter as another tear slid down his face._

Amanda watched as a tear began sliding down the corner of Lee's closed eye. "Sweetheart?" she whispered softly. She wiped the tear away and watched as Lee's eyes fluttered open before immediately closing again. "Sweetheart!" she gasped. She held Lee's hand tightly to her chest as she commanded, "Squeeze my hand."

Lee concentrated on the warmth surrounding his cold fingers and channeled what little strength he had into contracting the muscles in his hand. He managed a light but distinguishable squeeze before the muscles completely relaxed once more.

"Oh, Sweetheart!" Amanda cried. She leaned forward kissing his hand. "I knew you could do it. I have to get the doctor. I have to tell him. Just stay here." Amanda chuckled at her statement as she added, "Of course you're going to stay here…I'll be right back."

Amanda carefully lowered his hand before she left the room calling out, "He's really awake, he squeezed my hand! He's awake!"

The nurse was the first to enter the room. She looked at Lee's monitors and nodded, "Well, it's about time." She smiled at Amanda as she moved around the bed to check his EEG report. "Distinctive differences. Yes, I would say your Prince Charming is finally awake. I'll alert Dr. Daniels."

Amanda sat on the edge of his bed and couldn't stop touching him. She smoothed the sheet across his chest once more and fought the urge to touch his face, the ventilator hindering her ability to do so. She turned when the door opened and smiled widely as Dr. Daniels stepped into the room announcing, "He's found his way back from Oz."


	20. Chapter 20

After several preliminary tests, Dr. Daniels confirmed, Lee was indeed conscious. It was a difficult and slow process for Amanda to watch as he tried to get Lee to follow simple commands like open his eyes on command, squeeze each hand independently, flex each foot independently, raise each hand off the bed slightly. He was still running tests when Billy and Francine slipped into the room, Billy whispering, "We got here as soon as we could."

Amanda fought her tears as she watched Lee lift one shaky hand to the endotracheal tube taped to his cheek. He tapped the tube extending from his mouth in an attempt to communicate his discomfort with the apparatus that was helping him to breathe.

"Mr. Stetson, I'd like you to hold your wife's hand," Dr. Daniels suggested, much to Amanda's surprise. She looked at Billy for reassurance as he nodded. Amanda moved to the side of the bed and took Lee's hand in her own. "Now, I'm going to ask you a series of questions, Mr. Stetson and I need you to give your wife a long squeeze for yes and a short squeeze for no. Can you do that?" Dr. Daniels instructed.

Lee held Amanda's hand as tight as he could for three seconds before relaxing, drawing a smile from Amanda. "He says yes," she replied huskily. Francine gasped when she witnessed his response.

"Okay, good. Now, Mr. Stetson, are you in any pain right now?" Dr. Daniels asked.

"No," Amanda replied after a short squeeze from Lee.

"Now, were you injured during a shooting?" Dr. Daniels asked next.

"Yes," Amanda stated after another long squeeze.

Dr. Daniels nodded, "Your lung was damaged during the shooting. The ventilator has been helping you breathe so your lung could heal. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Amanda replied, her voice thick with emotion with the mention of what had occurred a week ago.

Dr. Daniels looked at Billy then back at Lee and said, "I can have the pulmonologist come in and remove the vent but if you begin to struggle to breathe again, we will have to reinsert it. Do you understand?"

Amanda gasped as Lee held her hand tight, "Yes, Dr. Daniels, he understands."

"All right then, I'm going to have Dr. Xiu come up. You sit tight and rest for now. I'm going to page him," Dr. Daniels announced. He crossed the room but stopped beside Billy and Francine and whispered, "He's one lucky son of a gun."

"You have no idea," Billy smiled.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Dr. Daniels touched Billy on the shoulder before slipping out of the room.

Amanda still held onto Lee's hand even though Lee's eyes gradually closed. Francine got closer, placed her hands on Amanda's shoulders and she leaned forward and whispered, "We knew he'd pull through this."

Amanda leaned her head against Francine's left hand and replied softly, "I wasn't sure. I know it's awful to say but I didn't know for sure. I hoped, I prayed but…" Amanda's voice trailed off as her tears began to fall.

"Well, he's awake, answering questions, he's going to be okay," Francine assured her.

Dr. Daniels returned several minutes later, Dr. Xiu only steps behind. Dr. Xiu nodded at Amanda but turned to Billy and Francine and asked, "Would you mind stepping out of the room? We'd like Mrs. Stetson to stay, but if Mr. Stetson has an emergency, the fewer people in the way, the better."

"We understand, Doctor. Francine and I will wait in the hall," Billy stated before he guided Francine through the door.

Dr. Xiu looked at Amanda and gave her a small smile. "I'm going to remove the tape first. Then I'm going to deflate the balloon that's keeping the tube inside. After that, I'm going to slowly pull the tube out and from there we watch and wait. If your husband appears to be in any sort of respiratory distress, we will have to quickly sedate him and reinsert the breathing tube," he explained. Amanda nodded in understanding her eyes wide.

Dr. Xiu looked at Dr. Daniels and the two doctors worked together, following the instructions Dr. Xiu had laid out. When it came time to remove the tube, Dr. Xiu leaned close to Lee and asked, "Are you ready, Mr. Stetson?"

Lee squeezed Amanda's hand for three full seconds, "Yes, he is."

"Just try to relax, sir. You may feel like you're gagging but that shouldn't last long," Dr. Xiu explained as he slowly extracted the tube. When the end finally cleared Lee's lips, Dr. Xiu rubbed his shoulder and stated, "Well done, sir. Now, I'd like you to inhale slowly then exhale just as slowly. If you need guidance, I can count to four each time."

Lee shook his head and inhaled through his mouth before exhaling a stilted breath. He repeated the process several times, coughing slightly on the third breath. "You're doing good, Lee, just take it slow," Amanda assured him. Her worried eyes never left his.

"Here, let's sit you up a little higher. Now, I don't want you to try to talk just yet. You need to concentrate on your breathing, keeping it slow and even for now, if you can," Dr. Xiu explained before he depressed the button to elevate the head of the bed. When Lee was in a partially sitting position, he nodded indicating he was more comfortable.

"Manda," Lee whispered, his voice scratchy and hoarse.

"I'm here, Sweetheart, oh I'm here," Amanda cried hearing his voice for the first time in a week.

"Squires…" Lee's strained voice struggled.

"Shhhh, no… he's… he's gone. Forever. He can't hurt us ever again," Amanda stood and cradled Lee's face in her hand. She stroked his cheekbone with her thumb.

Lee closed his eyes and relaxed into her hand. Lee managed to croak out two more words before he rested again, "Love… you!"

Dr. Xiu and Dr. Daniels nodded at each other before Dr. Xiu stated, "He's holding his own. I'm good with his progress." He listened to Lee's breath sounds and nodded once more. He spent the next few minutes dismantling the breathing tube and pushed the machine into the corner, out of the way.

Dr. Daniels opened the door and waved to Francine and Billy to return to the room. "I'm going to suggest keeping this visit to a minimum if you don't mind. Mr. Stetson needs to rest. He's been through quite an ordeal and we don't need to hinder his healing with too many visitors today."

Francine moved to stand close to Lee and waited for him to open his eyes and focus on her. "Hey, don't do that again okay?" she teased. Lee gave her a strained smile but she didn't miss the twinkle in his eyes. "Get some rest. Do what they tell you to do for once, you hear me?" She reached down, took his hand in hers, and gave it a squeeze. She teared up when Lee squeezed it back.

Billy moved to stand behind Francine so Lee could see him better. He placed his hand on Lee's leg and teased him, "I should write you up for dereliction of duty this week, Scarecrow, but I guess I can let it slide this time."

Lee tried to laugh but ended up coughing instead. Amanda stood up and moved to the top of the bed to try to calm him. Dr. Daniels also moved to the end of the bed and watched as Lee fought to catch his breath but nodded as Lee forced himself to breathe slowly once again. "Very good, Mr. Stetson. I'm impressed," Dr. Daniels stated. "How are you feeling? Lightheaded at all?"

Lee lifted his hand and rocked it side to side.

Dr. Daniels sidestepped the bed and opened a drawer, pulling out a simple oxygen mask and a long tube that he inserted into a nozzle on the wall. He placed the mask over Lee's face and instructed, "Try some deep breaths now."

Lee closed his eyes and took a few breaths before giving Dr. Daniels a thumbs up.

"I'm going to suggest that everyone needs to give Mr. Stetson a chance to rest. He should be up for more visitors tomorrow," Dr. Daniels stated firmly.

Francine and Billy both reached out and touched Lee. "I'll see you in the hallway, Amanda," Billy stated softly before they left the room.

Amanda stood and leaned forward to kiss Lee's forehead. Lee yanked the oxygen mask down and pulled her to his lips. Amanda's tears dripped onto Lee's cheeks, blending with his own.


	21. Chapter 21

The following afternoon, Philip bounded into Lee's room, proudly carrying the basketball he had received the previous night. "Lee! You're never gonna believe this!" he exclaimed loudly.

"Hey, Chief," Lee whispered hoarsely, his smile partially hidden by the oxygen mask he was still wearing.

Jamie followed Philip with Amanda slowly walking behind.

"I did it! I did everything you said and I was the highest scorer in the game last night!" Philip stated before he added, "I wish you could have been there."

"I know, I wish I could have been there, too," Lee replied before he began coughing. Amanda rushed to his side but he held one hand up and the other against his ribs. "I'm okay. Dr. Daniels told me to expect this," Lee assured her.

Amanda brushed his hair back and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I've been better," Lee teased, drawing a laugh from Philip. He noticed Jamie was standing apart from the rest of them and asked, "Jamie, you okay?"

Jamie looked down at his feet before he lifted his head and pushed his glasses up, "I guess. Are you going to be able to come home soon, too? Dr. Daniels said Mom was going to be discharged today or tomorrow, so, how much longer until you can come home?"

Lee shook his head a little, "I'm sorry, bud, but I'm not going to be home for a while."

"Why not? You're not on that machine anymore and you can talk now. Why can't you come home? You can stay in bed all day and Philip and Mom and Grandma and I can help take care of you," Jamie stated firmly.

"Jamie, Lee's body isn't strong enough for him to come home just yet," Amanda tried to explain but Jamie just shook his head.

"It's not fair!" Jamie groaned. "You should be home, with us."

Lee looked from Amanda to Jamie, closed his eyes for a moment then asked, "How's that project coming?"

"Project?" Jamie sputtered, suddenly confused. "What project?"

Lee scratched his head, trying to figure out what he was missing. "Aren't you working on a project for school? Something for extra credit?" Lee asked, hoping to fill in the blanks in his own mind.

Jamie's eyes widened as did Amanda's. "You know about that? I mean…he explained it to you but you were…" Amanda's voice trailed off as she tried to understand.

"Bits and pieces, I guess. I'm not really sure. I remember Jamie saying something about a project but honestly, I couldn't tell you when or where I was when he said it. I thought maybe it was something he was working on while you were…" Lee stopped to cough again.

Amanda, afraid Lee would forget and say the wrong thing quickly said, "While I was on location. No, Jamie found out about the project after all this happened. Sweetheart, that's incredible."

Philip leaned on the ball on the edge of Lee's bed and asked, "What am I missing?"

Jamie rolled his eyes and groaned, "Lee heard us when we were talking to him."

"Of course, he heard us. He has ears, Nerd-brain," Philip snapped back.

Amanda held one hand up and stated, "No, I think what your brother's trying to say is he heard him when he was in the coma."

Philip hesitated before his eyes widened and he whispered, "Ohhh."

Lee reached for Amanda's hand and said, "I don't remember everything, just parts of things. It's like trying to remember a dream, I guess."

Amanda smiled, "Well, I only want to remember the good dreams, from now on." She pulled Lee's hand to her lips and gently kissed his fingers.

Philip pushed himself off the edge of the bed and asked, "Is Grandma coming back soon? She promised she'd get us a snack since she rushed us out of school again. Not that I mind coming to see you guys or anything, even though I'd like it better if you were both just home but, well, I'm kinda hungry."

Lee reached up and patted Philip's hand as he whispered, "When are you not hungry?"

Before anyone could comment, the door swung open, Dotty rushing inside with Dr. Daniels right behind her. "Oh, there you are! I was looking all over for you! First, I checked Amanda's room but you weren't there, so, then I thought maybe you went to get something in the cafeteria so I went all the way down there but I couldn't find you, so, then I thought I missed you and went back to Amanda's room but now I'm here and so are you!" Dotty rambled excitedly.

Lee couldn't help but chuckle a bit, as he thought how much he had missed those mother and daughter rambles.

"Mrs. Stetson, I have your discharge papers for you to sign," Dr. Daniels waved a blue file folder in Amanda's direction.

"Discharge papers? Who's getting discharged? Lee's in no condition to go anywhere just yet," Dotty interjected.

Amanda laughed, put her arms around her mother and said, "Hello, Mother. I'm glad you found us."

Jamie looked at Dotty, "Did you get us a snack?"

Dotty shook her head, "No, I didn't get you a snack. Now, what's all this nonsense about discharge papers?"

No one could deny the audible groan that came from both Philip and Jamie. "I have Mrs. Stetson's discharge papers," Dr. Daniels announced. "And, if she would kindly fill them out for me, I can take you two boys down to the nurse's station and see what they have down there if you'd like. Pudding, Jell-o, and popsicles are usually always stocked up."

"Can we, Mom? Please?" Jamie asked, his hazel eyes blinking rapidly behind his glasses. Philip looked at her with the same hopeful expression.

Amanda reluctantly took the folder from Dr. Daniels and said, "You boys behave. And mind your manners. Come right back when you're done." The boys darted out of the room with barely a sound as Amanda looked at Dr. Daniels and said, "Thank you."

Sitting on the edge of Lee's bed, Amanda pulled the bed table closer and began flipping through the pages slowly. Lee could tell by the look on her face she was apprehensive, so he reached out and put his hand on her arm as he said, "I'll be okay. The boys need you at home right now."

Amanda couldn't fight the tears that formed in her eyes as she whispered, "But you need me, too. I feel like I'm being forced to make a choice."

Dotty dropped her head, her heart heavy, knowing how Amanda felt. She opened her mouth to assure Amanda everything would be okay but Lee spoke up first.

"Hey, I don't want you to think of it like that. Listen, I may not like it…okay, I may hate it, but I'm not going home any time soon. We both know this. Dr. Daniels explained I'm probably going to have to head to a convalescent home for a while to get stronger because this has really done a number on me," Lee said softly. "He said I'm going to need all kinds of therapy to help my heart and my lungs get stronger again but that doesn't mean you have to give up taking care of the boys to take care of me. Sure, I'm gonna need you but right now, they've been through so much… they need you more."

"Oh, Lee," Dotty exhaled.

"Oh, and Dotty, I, um," Lee stuttered for a second, then caught his breath while he reached out for her hand and said, "You've done so much to help and I feel…I feel as though I would be disrespectful if I didn't start calling you Mom…only if that's all right with you?"

Amanda's head shot up and she looked at him, her eyebrows high in surprise. "Where did that come from?" Dotty couldn't reply, she was too stunned by his request.

Lee shrugged his shoulders and stammered, "I'm not sure. I just…had this thought…"

Dotty finally got her wits about her and grinned as she said, "I would be honored, Lee." Dotty leaned down without releasing his hand, a single tear sliding down her cheek as they exchanged a short but meaningful hug.


	22. Chapter 22

The next week passed slowly for Lee. Although he was upgraded to a regular room within three days of having the breathing tube removed, Lee still struggled with his oxygen intake and had to remain on a nasal cannula to help him breathe. His energy level was low and despite Amanda's attempts at getting him to eat, he only picked at his food complaining all the while. He didn't have the strength to get up and walk around like he wanted, so he would lash out at her in anger.

"Dammit, Amanda. I hate this! I hate hospitals, I hate doctors! I just want to go home!" Lee snapped one afternoon after she rolled him around the floor in the wheelchair he was limited to. He slammed his hand on the armrest as she tried to steer him around an older gentleman shuffling back to his room.

"Sweetheart, please calm down," Amanda tried to settle him. "Dr. Daniels said in a few more days you can go to the convalescent home and they will work with you more to get you home faster. You have to give it time."

Lee groaned loudly when she finally pushed him back into his own room, "I'm done giving it time. I just want to be with our family… at home…in our home. Not here! Not in a damn home!"

Slowly, Amanda helped Lee to stand, turn, then guided him to sit back on the bed. Lee held Amanda around the waist and pressed his forehead against hers. "I know, Sweetheart, I know," she whispered.

"Do you know what it's like, seeing you every day when all I want to do is pull you in my arms and…" Lee's voice faded into a sigh.

Amanda lifted her chin and pressed her lips against his firmly. Lee ripped the oxygen tube over his head and held her close as he claimed her mouth with his. By the time they separated, he was gasping for air. "Lee!" Amanda cried as she scrambled to get the tube back on him.

Lee pushed her away and took several frustrated breaths. "I'm fine!" he snapped. "I'm fine," he muttered again as he dropped his head into his hands.

Amanda put her arms around his shoulders and even when Lee tried to push her away again, she refused to let go. "Lee, just stop fighting, just stop," she cried against his neck. Lee finally stopped and dropped his head on her shoulder and began to cry with her. "We'll get through this together, I promise," she whispered softly.

The following day, Amanda spent a good portion of the afternoon making Lee's favorite meal of Beef Wellington with roasted potatoes and glazed baby carrots. She carefully packaged everything up and took it to the hospital to have dinner with Lee. When she arrived in his room, he was noticeably absent. She laughed at herself as she immediately checked the closet for his belongings. Deciding he hadn't taken off on his own, she began unpacking the bag as she waited for him to return.

Several minutes later, an attractive hospital Blue Belle wheeled him into the room. Amanda noticed his hair was wet, he was even clean-shaven, and for the first time in weeks, he was wearing his own pajamas she had brought him along with his favorite robe. He had more color in his face than the last week and his face lit up with a smile when he saw her. "Manda," he whispered loudly. He inhaled and closed his eyes as he sighed, "Beef Wellington."

"Here you go, Mr. Stetson," the Blue Belle announced as she parked Lee's wheelchair. "And your room just smells so yummy. Like my Mimi's kitchen on a Sunday afternoon. You are one lucky man to have a woman make you a meal like that!"

Lee smiled in Amanda's direction, the first smile that reached his eyes in weeks as he agreed, "I certainly am. Thank you, Jackie." Jackie the Blue Belle nodded as she closed the door behind her. Lee remained in the wheelchair for the moment and just watched Amanda finish unpacking the bag she had brought. "Smells wonderful."

Amanda smiled back at him and said, "It's nice to see that you're a little more like yourself today."

"Well, let's see, I did a little bit of physical therapy today and I was able to walk halfway down the hall with the walker. I was a little slow but I still did it. Then they gave my legs a massage before they allowed me to have a nice shower and shave by myself. I think I finally feel more human again," Lee explained happily. "And, I'm starving, tonight."

Amanda stepped close to him and kissed his forehead, "Well, it sounds like you earned this then." She looked at the bed and asked, "You want help?"

"No, I want to eat dinner right here, across from you," Lee stated.

Amanda nodded and dropped the bed table down so they could sit and eat easily. She made them each a plate and pulled out a bottle of water for each of them from a small cooler. She shrugged her shoulders and laughed, "Red wine isn't allowed, sorry."

Lee chuckled, "That's okay. I'll get a glass soon enough." He took his first bite, closed his eyes and hummed happily. Lee grinned and spoke up between bites, "My God, how I've missed this. Thank you, Amanda, this is wonderfully delicious." Amanda joined him and they ate silently for several minutes before Lee wiped his mouth and took a sip of his water. "Amanda, we need to talk," he stated his tone dropping.

"Oh?" she asked. She swallowed hard and wiped her mouth as she awaited his next few words.

"Amanda, I know we haven't had much time alone to talk about what happened with Squires, so, I guess now is as good a time as any," Lee began. Amanda inhaled sharply when he mentioned Alan's name. "When Squires…did what he did…Amanda, I couldn't find you fast enough. I'm sorry I didn't…I couldn't find you sooner and I wasn't there to protect you the way I should have. I was going crazy not knowing where you were or how I was going to find you."

"Oh, Lee. When I woke up, handcuffed to that bed, I didn't know what was going to happen but I knew one thing. I knew you wouldn't give up looking for me. No matter what Alan said, I always believed you'd find me," Amanda assured him.

Lee reached across their makeshift dinner table and took her hand in his. He toyed with her wedding rings as he admitted, "If what happened didn't happen, honestly, I probably would have killed him, with my bare hands if it came to that."

Amanda squeezed his fingers gently as she blew out a shaky exhale. "It's not your fault. Lee, you have to know, Alan didn't want to hurt me. He wasn't planning on hurting me. He never even tried to do anything other than show me kindness for the most part. He claimed he was in love with me and he wanted to take me away, so he and I could be together," she replied softly.

Lee clenched his jaw tightly, the muscle in his cheek twitched wildly. "When I got there…and he had you…" Lee stopped, the image of Alan pressing Amanda against the door trying to kiss her burned into his memory. "I'm just going to say, I'm not upset he's dead because I _know_ he will never hurt you again," he stated between gritted teeth.

"Lee, I'm sorry you had to go through that. And I know it couldn't have been easy. Mother was probably asking a hundred questions, I know she hasn't stopped asking questions since I got back," Amanda said softly.

Lee shook his head, "Amanda, you have nothing to apologize for. You didn't do anything. You couldn't have known Squires was pining for you all those years and you sure as hell didn't know he was going to grab you like that."

Amanda gently pushed the tray to the side and knelt down on the floor in front of Lee. She took both of his hands in hers and looked up at him. She watched his eyes as she said, "Lee, I know you want to protect us all the time and you try so hard to make us feel safe." Lee shifted uncomfortably in his seat, disrupting her thought. "Honey, I just want you to know, I'm safe because of you. I'm safe because of all the things you and the agency have taught me over the years. I never lost focus. I was constantly trying to find a way out. I even tried to pick the lock of the handcuffs with a hairpin I found."

Lee shook his head, "That never works like it does in the movies, you know that."

"I know, but I had to try. I never stopped trying. I tried talking to him, I tried to escape once before and if you hadn't come when you did, I would have tried once more to get to the car on my own," Amanda explained, hoping Lee would understand. When Lee dropped his chin and toyed with their conjoined hands, she added, "Lee, I'm safe simply because you love me."

Lee looked up into her beautiful brown eyes, "I do love you, Amanda! Always have and always will. Never forget that."

Amanda couldn't take her eyes off his as she started to tear up, "I love you too, Sweetheart! Now and forever."

They both leaned into each other, their lips meeting for a kiss filled with love and promise.


	23. Chapter 23

Three months later, Amanda drove slowly through the streets of Arlington. The sun was warm and the air smelled beautifully sweet from the swirling cherry blossoms petals falling softly around. Lee sat beside her, his eyes partially closed as the open window fanned warm air into the car, while he enjoyed the fragrances and the warmth of the sun. She reached over and squeezed his hand gently, "You happy to be on your way home?"

"With you, I'm always home," Lee replied softly as he brought her fingers to his lips.

"Oh," Amanda drew in a surprised breath. She pulled up in front of their house and smiled at the freshly cut lawn, the carefully edged flower beds along the walkway and the colorful sign that hung above the door that read, "Welcome Home, Lee!"

She carefully backed into the driveway, stopping as close to the walkway as possible. She got out of the car and pulled Lee's cane from the backseat before he opened his door. "I'll send the boys out later for your bag and things," she assured him when he glanced at the collection of bags on the seat. He eased himself out of the car, found his balance and gratefully took the cane from Amanda. She offered him her elbow to balance on the other side and together they walked slowly to the front door.

"Welcome home, Lee!" the chorus of voices announced as the front door opened slowly.

Their family and friends were gathered inside patiently awaiting his arrival. As they made their way inside, Lee couldn't help but smile as he looked from one happy face to another. "Thank you, it's nice to finally be home," Lee declared.

"Let's get you comfortable in your chair and then you can greet your guests," Amanda informed him.

"Amanda, I think I'd like to try to move around a little bit," Lee decided. Amanda simply looked at him so he added, "I won't overdo it, I promise. I learned my lesson after last week and Angela told me if I tried to push that hard again, I was going to end up back in sessions with her. No, thank you." Lee laughed at his own expense remembering how he nearly collapsed during a therapy session because he insisted, he was stronger than he actually was. His physical therapist, Angela, promised him if he tried another stunt like that, she personally would make his life a living hell while he finished his recuperation at home.

Amanda grinned and said, "I'm going to trust you, Lee."

Slowly, Lee made his way to where Billy and Francine stood near the windows. "Well, well, well, it's about time you got on your feet," Francine teased.

"Ha ha, very funny," Lee groaned.

Billy offered Lee his hand and stated, "It's good to see you home."

"It will be even better when I can get back to work," Lee admitted.

Billy pursed his lips and shook his head, "I can't believe you're even thinking about work. You just got home after almost four months. Work can definitely wait. Besides, Amanda's been doing a good job getting the Q Bureau reorganized while you've been out."

"What do you mean, she's been reorganizing…" Lee questioned as he scanned the room to find where she went.

Francine laughed, "Don't worry, she's only been coming in two hours a day and Doc Kelford won't sign off on any more just yet. He said when you get home and he can see both of you in the office, then he'll sign her off but until then, two hours is all she gets."

"Thank you. Both of you," Lee stated softly.

"Lee, you don't have to thank us for keeping an eye on Amanda…" Billy began but Lee cut him off when he said, "You've kept my family safe when I couldn't. There aren't enough words…"

Francine gave Lee a gentle hug and said, "Family isn't always blood-related. Remember that." She looked over Lee's shoulder and saw his uncle moving in their direction. "Speaking of family, here comes Colonel Clayton."

Lee turned his head just as his uncle stopped beside him. "Colonel. Thanks for coming. I hope it wasn't too hard for you to get the time off," Lee said.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world, Skip. Besides, I'm not in a hurry to get back to Japan any time soon. The food's not that good, even on base, the weather stinks and well, I'd rather be around you, Amanda and the boys," Colonel Clayton assured him. "Speaking of which, Miss Dotty told me she made stuffed mushrooms from her own recipe and I'm dying to try them." Lee grimaced at his description which his uncle noticed. "Sorry, bad choice of words."

Lee laughed as Dotty carried a tray with her heading in the opposite direction. He pointed and said, "There she goes now. And if I know which mushroom recipe you're talking about, you better get to them before the boys do." Colonel Clayton gave him a hard nod and quickly moved in Dotty's direction.

"We'll let you chat with your other guests," Billy stated as he and Francine moved away from Lee.

Lee looked around and slowly made his way around to everyone that was there. He did his best to spend a minute or two with each person until he started to feel tired. He made his way outside to where the boys were throwing a baseball back and forth. He settled himself into one of the outside chairs and smiled as Jamie tossed a high fly ball that Philip nearly missed. "Good one," Lee called out, drawing Jamie's attention. Both boys immediately ran to where he was sitting.

"You okay, Lee? Do you need Mom?" Philip asked nervously.

"No, no I'm all right. The sun feels good for a change," Lee assured his stepsons. Lee put his hand on Jamie's head and ruffled his hair. "You need a haircut," he commented.

Jamie reached over and ruffled Lee's hair, longer than he usually wore and teased, "So do you!" Both boys laughed along with Lee. "I'm glad you're home, Lee," Jamie stated softly. "It's not the same when you're not here. No one's really happy or at least not like when you're home. We love you."

Lee looked into the faces of each boy and assured them, "I love you, too. And I'm pretty glad to be home with you guys. And just think, Opening Day is coming soon. We can catch a few Orioles home games before I officially have to go back to work." The boys high-fived each other with excitement.

"Hey, is this where you've been hiding?" Dotty called as she stepped outside. "Why don't you boys go inside, wash your hands, and see if you can help your mother. She's pulling out the desserts."

"Cookies!" both boys shouted as they scrambled to the door, leaving Dotty and Lee alone outside.

"Well, I wonder if it was something I said?" Dotty shrugged her shoulders.

Lee chuckled, resting both hands on his cane. "No, if I could run like that for Amanda's cookies right now, I probably would, too."

Dotty put her arms around Lee's shoulders and tipped her head against him, "Amanda saved you a whole tray of them. She hid them in your bedroom so the boys wouldn't find them, actually."

Lee patted one of Dotty's arms, "Thanks, Mom."

"Hey, you do what you have to for the ones you love, right?" Dotty asked softly.

Lee nodded and said, "And sometimes you do something you'd do all over again if it meant keeping them safe."

Dotty kissed his forehead and assured him, "Well, you are home where you belong, everyone is safe and everything feels right in our world, again."

"Almost. You know, Mom, I was thinking… maybe Amanda and I should have a conversation about that granddaughter you've been asking for," Lee stated softly.

"Lee, I haven't mentioned…" Dotty began but stopped when her eyes grew large. "You…"

Lee nodded, "I heard, yes. I wasn't sure if I dreamed it or what."

"What did you dream, Sweetheart?" Amanda's voice drifted outside from the doorway.

Dotty patted Lee's shoulders, kissed his forehead once more and said, "I'll let you two talk, but I'll say this. I would definitely love that, darling." She patted Amanda's arm on her way by and gave him a wink before she closed the door behind her.

"What was that all about?" Amanda laughed as she moved closer to Lee. She sat on the arm of the chair and gave Lee a small squeeze. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm doing just fine. Listen, I know I haven't said it enough, but I promise you, right here, right now, I'm not going to go another day without telling you how much I love you," Lee stated as he looked up at Amanda.

"Lee, I love you," she breathed.

"And to answer your question, your mother and I were just talking about her granddaughter," Lee began.

Amanda laughed, "My mother doesn't have a granddaughter. Or did you forget that simple fact?"

Lee looked up into her loving brown eyes and stated simply with a wink, "Not yet."


End file.
